All Around Me
by BelleFairy13
Summary: Draco Malfoy is marked for death. In his run for freedom, he ends up transported away from the war and is saved by a curious young woman. With her help, he reaches out to aid the Light. The road will be long and dangerous. For him to be free of his past and right his wrongs, he must walk with former enemies and a girl who is not all she seems. Canon up to 6th yr. EWE, WIP,
1. Run

First of all, I do not own Harry Potter, only my own character and my plot line.

Its been some time since I've written fanfiction in any dedicated sense but I look forward to doing so again. This will be my first Harry Potter fic as well. I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If there are any errors when I upload and I haven't fixed them yet, please someone let me know as it has been ages since I've used FFN. I'm not well acquainted with their formatting.

This will diverge from canon.

All Around Me Ch. 1

Run

His breath caught in his throat and his sides felt like fire had cut through him as he ran. He could feel blood flowing down his face from the numerous scratches he had collected while running blindly through the winter wood. They lacked in comparison, however, to the rest of the wounds his body had sustained. Clawed branches reached out for him, tugging and ripping at his robes as he ran. He fought their hold desperately, one thing on his mind; Run.

Draco Malfoy had finally snapped. He could no longer keep up the pretense that he was in his heart a Death Eater, for he was not. Months of struggling to fix that damned Vanishing Cabinet and failing to kill Dumbledore had proven that beyond a doubt. The wizard had seen that as they stood facing each other on the tower. The Headmaster knew he was no killer, knew he was the boy who wasn't given a choice, and he knew he needed someone to tell him that he could, in fact, choose to leave. The offer the words held seemed impossible but he was so tired and wanted out. He began to lower his wand, ready to accept when Snape and the others had passed through his wards and up the Astronomy Tower. After that, the deed was still done if not by him. There was no more promise of something better. As he fled the school with the other Death Eaters, the weight in his chest only intensified at the thought of what his failure would mean.

The Dark Lord, Voldemort, was not pleased with his cowardice. Though Draco was skilled enough in Occlumency to keep from betraying his consideration of Dumbledores offer, if He sensed he was hiding something he would be punished severely if not executed on site. Whether it was mercy or torture, he didn't know, but He decided to spare his life. He did, after all, succeed in getting the Death Eaters into Hogwarts even if Snape had finished the rest of job for him. Death, in hindsight, may have been preferable. The Death Eaters and their Lord rose their voices in celebration, proclaiming their victory and eventual end of the War with Voldemort over Harrys broken body. To start the celebrations, a round of the Cruciatus Curse from his Lord, his aunt, and his father, and anyone else who wanted in.

His echoed screams a concerto through the halls of the Manor accompanying the dissonance of sick laughter from the Dark Lords followers, his family included. The only one not to laugh at his agony was his mother, and even she had to keep a mask of indifference to keep from being a target herself. When it was finally over, Bellatrix proposed a raid on a muggle village to continue the celebrations and the others readily agreed, some kicking him on their way out as a painful parting.

Draco took this time to pull himself carefully to his feet, his body still shaking with the after effects of the curse. By far that had been the longest he had been exposed to it. He tripped and stumbled away, quietly as possible and hopefully not missed, to his room. His body seemed to move on its own, taking the familiar path to his doors, entering then shutting them and walking to his attached bathroom. Only when he caught his reflection in the mirror was he jolted from his zombie like state. Zombie, a good way to describe how he looked in that moment. His eyes were dull and sunken in, dark circles surrounding them made darker by his paler than death skin. True he had always been pale but even now his skin took on a sicklier white glow. His hair followed his eyes and skin, dull and lifeless. The only color seemed to be the blood from what would soon be scars littering his flesh left by the extended Cruciatus and beating session. He reached his hand out to his reflection, the stoic façade cracking under the weight of everything that had happened. Tears joined the blood steaming down his face. His path was set now and there was no escape.

That was the end of June. Months had passed in a blur and now it was December. His family had been summoned before the Dark Lord. No details, just that all three of them were to join him at once.

This was not good.

Draco looked to his parents on either side of him. His fathers face was calm and reserved, as was expected of a pure-blood, but little things betrayed his fear. The corners of his mouth were drawn tight as was his grip on his cane and his eyes filled with the look of a cornered animal. His mother was equally as stoic and fearful. As they walked, Bellatrix in front of them and Rodolphus behind them, the gnawing in his stomach grew. No, this was not good.

They reached the doors to the ballroom, where their Lord would hold court. Only He, Bellatrix, Rodolphus, himself and his parents were present this evening. In his mind he saw brief flashes of the elegant balls and parties his mother had once thrown. He remembered how he used to hate them, thinking they were silly and how he always tried to find ways out of them. Now, he desperately wished for such simpler things.

Lost in his thoughts, he barely made out the conversation happening around him. He shifted focus as the voices rose, conversation turning to frantic arguing. He felt his mother grip his hand tight, her fear evident. With his other hand he carefully felt his wand pocket, taking little comfort in its presence. His senses heightened, instinct slowly taking over. No, this was not good.

"I tire of you and your family's failure, Lucius! All I hear are excuses, excuses, and more excuses!"

"My Lord! Surely you can see how loyal we are? How willing we are to serve? We have done all that you asked, given you open access to our vaults, and happily given you our home. My son even became your youngest Death Eater!"

"_Crucio!"_

Lucius fell to the floor screaming, Bellatrixs laughter mingling in creating a horrid and terrible song. Draco and his mother stood perfectly still least they bring attention upon themselves.

"Your worthless spawn was made a Death Eater to pay for your failures but he is just like you. He failed in his task, someone more loyal and more worthy had to finish it for him." He ceased the curse, waiting for another excuse from Lucius but with his mind already decided on his fate. But what was the harm in having a little fun first?

"My Lord, forgive us! We can prove to you just how valuable we can be to you!"

"ENOUGH!" He hissed. The room grew silent as he stood from his throne and stood to tower over the cowering Malfoy patriarch.

"My Lord..."

"You are no longer needed, Lucius. You and your family are dismissed from my service."

Luciuss eyes grew wide in terror, "No! My Lord, please! We can-"

_"__AVADA KEDAVRA!"_ A burst of green light triggered the chaos that started Draco on his mad dash through the woods.

As his father was hit with the curse, his mother cried out, breaking her silence. She drew her wand and threw up a shield around Draco and herself.

"You can't have him! I won't let you kill my son!" She screamed as they were surrounded.

"Foolish woman, worthless as your husband." Voldemort sneered. Bellatrix and Rodolphus drew their wands and circled the pair, eager to kill for their Master.

Draco had his wand out as well, back to back with his mother, waiting for the attack to come. His mothers shields and wards were powerful, he supposed thats where he got that bit of talent from, but with the Dark Lord and his aunt and uncle aiming to kill them, he knew it wouldn't be long.

"Draco." His mother spoke just loud enough for him to hear. "Run."

His eyes widened in confusion before his mother roared, as screaming wouldn't quite be enough to describe the sound that spilled from her tiny frame. For a brief moment she resembled a lion more than a snake. The wards around them shattered as her magic filled the air around them and threw everyone away from them. She stepped away from him towards her sister, who was quickly recovering.

"Mother!" Draco yelled, begging her to come with him.

She locked eyes with him and shook her head before turning away from him, wand drawn and spells on her lips. His heart constricted in his chest as he turned and ran through the doors and down the hall. He could hear the battle behind him as he ran, then his aunts voice and those two words. He didn't see the flash of green as he ran. He didn't see his mothers lifeless eyes filled with sorrow and regret watching him leave. He couldn't see but barely a few feet in front of him through the tears. All the things he couldn't see but somehow knew none the less. His mother had sacrificed herself so that he would have a chance, slim as it was, for him to escape the monster they had been forced to serve because of his fathers mistake.

So he ran. He tore through the house, bursting through the back doors and running for the woods, dodging and countering spells as he did. A few cutting hexes nicked him but miraculously he was able to dodge or counter most of what was sent his way. Upon reaching the wood, his pursuers slowed. He knew this land like the back of his hand, having spent most of his free time here as a child and now as a teenager to escape the insanity of the mansion. Even as the Death Eaters slowed, he kept running. He ran long and hard, well past the boundaries of the Malfoy property.

As he began to slow, losing himself in the now unfamiliar property, he knew he had lost his advantage. He knew whatever lead he had was slowly being made up as his body began to shut down. He tripped on a tree root, falling and rolling down a small hill, hitting a few more roots as he went. He stopped at the base of a large black tree on the edge of a small clearing, its trunk large and with a hollow big enough to hide in. With pained breath he pulled himself into the sanctuary the tree offered.

He curled into a ball, pulling his knees tight to his chest and sobbed. His family was dead. His father, well, really he wanted to be sad but he was the one who had brought this on them so not many tears were shed for him. His mother, however, had sacrificed herself, had done everything she could to protect him. He knew she loved him, knowing he had never wanted this life his father forced on him. So he cried for her. He cried for himself. He, who everyone saw as the blood purist, snobby, bully; the Malfoy heir who would certainly follow in his fathers footsteps. If only someone knew he wasn't like that at all, not truly. If only someone knew it was all an act on his part to keep himself safe from his father, then later the Dark Lord.

If only he had the courage to ask anyone, including Saint Potter, for help. If only someone noticed that behind all the insults, his eyes were begging for help. But the time for that passed, his last chance dying with Dumbledore that night on the Astronomy Tower. He was going to die here, in this hollow, crying. At least he would have more dignity than his father, he thought to himself. He would not give them the satisfaction of begging them for his life.

He held his hands to his face, whispering into them all his apologies and his regrets, tears winding their way through the dirt and blood caked on them. Faintly he could hear voices in the distance. They were nearing his refuge, closer and closer with every muttered word.

"Please..." His whispered sob bleeding into the noise of the cold night, his resolve breaking. "Please someone help me.."

The tears on his hands rolled down to his wrists and stopped. They rested there a moment before a glow began to circle them. Soon, golden shackles appeared around his wrists and shined bright as the sun. Before he could fully register the odd occurrence, a voice cut out through the silence of the wood.

"I found you, dearest Draco! _AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

He squeezed his eyes shut waiting for the curse to hit. It was supposed to be painless, instant, but what did he really know? Even if it was true, he was still afraid and didn't want to die. He didn't know that the feeling in his gut wasn't the curse hitting him, but the pull of Apparition.

He felt the familiar twisting sensation and disorientation as he reached his unknown destination. Unknown because even if he had tried to Apparate, he had no where he could go let alone the strength and presence of mind to do so. He lay on the ground, realizing quickly that he was far from home, and not dead due to the Killing Curse. For that he was thankful, but still wary and confused. It was warmer but still fairly cool, the air smelled differently due to the difference in foliage, the sounds of the woods were even different. He rolled over on his back, groaning in pain. His head was swimming as he tried to hang on to consciousness. He heard a snap of a stick or twig and turned his head to the side to see his attacker, his wand raised feebly to defend himself.

Through his blurred vision, he spotted a girl, seemingly no older than him. From what he could tell she had black hair, half undone from a pony tail, with fair skin and dressed in a simple brown skirt, flowing green top, and brown flats. She had her wand drawn but as she stepped carefully closer she lowered it.

"Draco?" She whispered, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

He went stiff at the mention of his name. This girl knew him somehow. Did he know her? He wasn't sure. Somehow she felt familiar but he was so close to losing his battle with exhaustion, he just didn't know. He thought, for a brief moment, that he saw a golden flash around her wrist. He lowered his wand, he would have to trust that she wasn't here to kill him.

"H-help… m-me..." He stuttered as his vision went black, the last thought that ran through his mind was recognition of the soft scent of jasmine blossoms.


	2. Punishments and a Save Haven

All Around Me Ch. 2

Punishments and a Safe Haven

Bellatrix and Rodolphus knelt on bended knees, waiting for their Masters reaction to their report. The Malfoy Heir had escaped. They had chased him deep into the wood, far beyond the Malfoy lands. They had chased him until they found him hiding pitifully in an old dead tree, sobbing and defenseless. It should have been too easy. Bellatrix herself had cast The Killing Curse, eager to finish her Masters bidding, but somehow the brat had disappeared before her eyes.

Not to be cheated of her kill, they had searched the surrounding area, sight and magical senses spread out far but with no result. The boy had somehow apparated away. They had refused to believe this, as the boys magical reserves should have been drained by that point, not to mention his mental ability at that moment would not have allowed for Apparition. However, after more fruitless hours of searching, they had to concede that he must have somehow managed to apparate. To where though, was the question.

Cursing her nephew and her traitorous sister, they turned back towards the manor, knowing the news they brought would only enrage their Master further. The execution of the Malfoy Family wasn't to be a drawn out chase. It was supposed to be as simple as the Malfoy Patriarch. Trust her foolish sister and her 'motherly love' to throw a wrench into things. The notion left a bad taste in her mouth, that something as useless as love had brought her sister to her fate. Not that she cared for her really, more the fact that someone who shared her blood could be so foolish. No, her family was a proud one who cared for nothing but power and the prestige of the dark. Serving the Dark Lord was an honor, one her sister had not taken to fully and for that she deserved to die the way she had, weak while shamefully protecting her even weaker offspring. Even to die by the Dark Lord was an honor, another she had squandered. No, she felt no love for her sister and thus could never understand the forces at work that had allowed Dracos escape.

Her attention was brought from her musings with a shrill cry as her body was assaulted but the Dark Lords enraged curse. Her body convulsed violently, reflecting the level of his rage. In her pain filled haze she could vaguely make out his words, berating their failure and their uselessness.

"You two are supposed to be among the best in my ranks! Yet, killing the Malfoy brat is above your skill level!? What is so hard about killing off a useless _**CHILD**_? _CRUCIO!"_ Voldermorts rage was more than enough to fuel the curse as it threatened to render them as ruined as they had left the Longbottoms.

When he lifted it both Deatheaters were barely breathing, each gasp a wheeze as their battered bodies tried to recover.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill the pair of you and be done with it." His cold words seeping past the blood in their ears.

"My Lord, we will find him. Even-" Rodolphus began to cough violently, blood dotting his lips and floor on which he lay. "Even is we must tear apart the country and burn every muggle village and town or London herself, we will find him and make him pay for his failures."

"And what of the Potter brat? Are you just going to forget about the fact that he is out there as well? Looking for some hopeless way to stop me from taking over the world?"

Bellatrix spoke up this time, "Never, My Lord! The Potter brat will be yours! We will bring them both to you! We will burn everything to find them and bring them to you, My Lord."

Voldemort regarded them both with his cold, red eyes.

_**"Naginiiii, my pet. What do you thhhhhink? Ssssshall I allow them a chancccce to correct their failuressss?"**_

The two writhing on the floor winced at the Parsletongue, knowing if he was speaking to her then their death and being her dinner were a high possibility.

Nagini slithered towards her Master, purposely allowing her heavy body pass over them, crushing the little bit of breath out of them as she went. She coiled up around His legs, bringing her head to rest on his shoulder. Unbothered, he reached up to stroke the cool scales on her head.

_**"The man reakssss of feeear. He just wisssshhhes to live. His female doesssss not. Shhheee reaks of anger. She wantssss the hatchhhhling dead. Shhhhee wants to pleeeassse you."**_

Voldemort smirked. _**"I believe you're jussst hungry and wisssh me to kill one."**_

_**"Beeee that asssss it may, Massster, he still only livesssss for himssself. If he doessssnt live to ssssserve you, he becomesssss a risssk. Shhheeee will live and die assss you wiissshh, will follow every order until itsssss done. Ssssspare her, feeeeed him to meeee."**_

He nodded and returned his attention to his two followers, who had caught a bit of their breath back and were watching the exchange carefully.

"It's been decided. Bellatrix, you're lucky Nagini is only a bit peckish."

Bellatrixs eyes flashed determination and she smirked. Her husbands eyes, however, widened in fear. He feebly tried to edge away as Nagini uncoiled herself from her Master and slithered towards him, flicking her tongue as if licking her lips.

"My Lord!" He exclaimed as she was nearly upon him.

"I don't need those in my service that may betray me, least of all for selfishness of ones own life, Rodolphus." He tilted his head, _**"Naginiiii, dinner."**_

Before another protest could be spoken, Nagini struck and latched upon Rodolphuss throat, his screams muffled by the gurgling blood and venom. Her powerful muscles constricted around his battered frame as he convulsed. Finally, his movements stilled and she freed her fangs. Rearing back she widened her jaw and enjoyed her dinner.

Bellatrix watched in rapt fascination as her husband was devoured by the beast. She had seen it done many times before but this was different. She had no emotional attachment to the brute she was married to. It didn't bother her in the slightest that he was now the reptiles dinner. What mattered to her was that she was given another chance to do her Masters bidding.

"Bellatrix." Her Lords voice rang sharp.

She pulled herself painfully to her knees at his feet, reaching out to kiss his robes. "My Lord." She whispered in reverence.

"You will search every day in every village, town, and hovel you can find. Each end of day you will report back to me. If you have not found him, you will scream and writhe in agony at my feet as you accept punishment. The longer you take to find one or both of them, the less I can guarantee your life. Am I clear?"

She nodded her head quickly, "Yes, my Lord. Thank you, my Lord for this opportunity."

His lip curled, "Dismissed."

She stood on unsteady feet and made her way out of the room, half walking half stumbling, but with a fire in her eyes. She rarely failed at anything. She would not fail him again.

DMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDM

Dracos first thought was that death was not what he imagined it. Really, he didn't know what to expect. Some thought there was a Heaven or Hell or some other related places one would go to while others thought you just weren't anymore. Nothing but a memory. He liked to think there was something more than just darkness but he, like many others, just didn't know.

With all that in mind, this was not what he expected. It wasn't until he noticed he was still breathing and could still feel his magic, weak from his escape, flowing through his veins with his blood that he realized he was, in fact, still alive.

The revelation caused his eyes to fly open, moving around rapidly to try and take in his surroundings.

The first thing he noticed was the ceiling. It seemed to be that of a log cabin. Odd, he thought. The Manor was no where near any log cabins. But then again he had run rather far, way past the boundaries. It was at least plausible that somewhere on the surrounding lands that someone had a log cabin.

The second thing he noticed was that he was in a full body bind.

"What the bloody hell!?" He tried to shout, panic gripping him. His voice came out small and gravelly, as though he had not used it in a while.

There was a startled yelp and the sound of something metal hitting the floor before a girl came out of a doorway within is line of sight. His gray eyes locked onto her green as his mind tried to process everything.

"Who in Merlins name are you!?" He demanded, panic increasing.

She tilted her head at him then smiled warmly. "Draco, you must calm down. Getting worked up like that will undo all the healing I've done so far." She approached him slowly, wiping her hands on her apron. "I apologize for the body bind but you were badly injured and I didn't want you to thrash about in your sleep. You were completely blacked out as well so I had to levitate you here. The bind makes that a bit easier."

As she spoke memories began to flood back. His parents, the running, hiding in the hollow, sure that he was going to die, his unexpected apparition, and then her. He had asked her for help right before the darkness had taken him. His breathing slowed as his panic began to fade. Hopefully it was as it seemed, that she had helped him.

His eyes found hers watching him, waiting patiently for him to catch up.

"Could you please remove the bind?" He asked wairly.

She smiled and nodded. "I had hoped to be with you when you woke as to avoid scaring you but I felt I should get some food made. I felt that you would wake soon and had hoped to have something ready quickly. Obviously, I was not quick enough." She snapped her fingers and the binds were no more.

Stunned, he carefully sat up and gingerly rubbed his sore muscles.

"Yeah, I have potions for the aches but I wanted to wait until you were awake and had eaten first. Take them on an empty stomach more often then not will make you sick."

He nodded, agreeing with the assessment.

"How did you do that?" He asked her, looking around the room now that he could move properly.

"How did I do what?"

"You released me by snapping your fingers. Wandless and wordless."

She waved her hand at him as if to say no big deal. "Don't get all awestruck. _Finite _isn't a hard spell. I'm by no means a Master in wandless or wordless magic. Just a few spells. Ones I find important but just a few nonetheless."

"Better than me." He noted as he continued to take in the cozy living area. It was simple, the couch he was sitting on was long enough for his height and rather comfortable. The other furnishings were simple and of neutral colors, beige and earth tones. The walls confirmed that this was indeed a log cabin and he noticed a set of stairs leading up to a second story. There was artwork on the walls but not many portraits. He noticed some items that he couldn't identify and realized they may be muggle in origin. He looked back at his host and was still watching him with that patient smile.

"Um.." He coughed, a little embarrassed at being caught looking around. "Where are we?"

"My home, but more accurately, as I presume you were looking for a more geological answer, is technically the English Channel."

"I beg your pardon? Did you just say the English Channel?"

She laughed at his gobsmacked expression, "Indeed. This is my island. Unplottable and hidden from detection."

"Thats..." He looked out the window and in the morning light he saw a nice autumn day. No rainy or snowy skies or biting cold. Just sunshine and a coolness reminiscent of autumn. He looked back at her, "Thats not possible. Unless I have slept through all of three seasons, there should be snow on the ground."

She stood and held out her hand to him, "Can you stand?"

He looked at her hand before taking it with his own, "Yeah, I think so."

She helped him to his feet but kept hold of his hand as she walked him to the door. For a brief second he swore he saw that golden flash again. She reached out and opened the door and walked him out onto a patio that looked to wrap around the house. Before he could get a better look at the outside however his attention was grabbed by the tempestuous sea bashing itself against the cliff-side that dropped not even a kilometer away into its blackish waters. The waters of the Channel were familiar in their frothy waves and gray skies above. He turned his attention to the skies directly above him but was met with light cloud cover and sun. The majority of the storm seemed to wrap around the island.

"You have a ward strong enough to manipulate the weather around the island?" He asked.

She nodded. "My father, before he passed, found this island. It was small and unclaimed so he did so. Cast the wards with his blood, making it impossible to find unless invited and to keep out the worst of the weather that the sea would bring. I enjoy the sounds of the waves on the cliffs so I don't mess with that. Honestly, it would seem out of place if a ship passed by and saw the waves stopped against some invisible object. Sometimes, I let in the winter weather. Just enough for some snow but not badly enough that I have to deal with a blizzard. Between you and me, autumn is my favorite so I tend to keep it about there."

"Thats bloody brilliant. Your father must have been a powerful wizard." He spoke, suddenly remembering the loss of his own parents.

She smiled sadly at him and placed her hand on his shoulder, her voice low, "Yeah, he was."

They stood there together, looking out over the sea and watched as the waves continued to beat upon the cliffs without mercy, each lost to their own thoughts.

After a while had passed, he turned back to her, something she said piquing his curiosity.

"You said no one could get here unless invited, yes?"

She kept her eyes on the waves but nodded her acknowledgment.

"Then, how did I get here?" He asked.

She turned and looked to his eyes then to his wrist closest to her then back to his eyes. The movement did not go unnoticed.

"Those golden flashes, they weren't because of my injuries, were they? I really saw them."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You were always invited here, Draco. Ever since we first met." She opened her eyes, tilted her head, and chuckled. "Well, kind of met."

"But… I've never met you before. When I apparated here, that was the first time I had ever met you."

She clicked her tongue, "Ah, but was it the first time you had ever _seen _me? Or even spoken to me?"

His brow furrowed in confusion as he searched his memories. How could one see and speak to someone without having properly met them?

She walked in front of him to face him and leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

"Here's a hint. You first met me the first time you ran into the woods to escape your lessons and you saw me better with your eyes closed."

In an instant the memory came back to him full force. He closed his eyes as the memory of a five year old Draco getting fed up with his dragon lady of a tutor and running out the Manor to hide in the woods he so like to play in. His father had punished him severely for it but something had happened in the woods to make him not care. Something in fact that made him sneak away to the woods as much as he could until his Hogwarts years.

He walked and played along the paths as the woods gave way to the denser forest past the Malfoys boundaries. It had given him a little thrill as his father had always told him to stay within the boundaries. As he walked he came across a small clearing at the bottom of a hill that seemed out of place. He approached cautiously, for even at the age of five he was distrustful of such things, but upon reaching it noticed nothing untoward. It was just a clearing with a large hollowed out tree at its edge. He almost shrugged it off and went to leave but something had stopped him. Unsure of what it was he closed his eyes and sighed only to open them again quickly in surprise. He looked around but what he thought he had seen had gone or had not been there at all. He closed his eyes again and there! A girl! He knew he had seen her but doubt had stricken him, how can you see something without your eyes?

Now, he knew all about imagination, he was after all only five. His father had consistently tried to squash all sense of it from him but he still had one and used it often when he was bored or not particularly wanting to be a part of what was happening at the moment. However, he was usually the one to conjure up the images in his head, not one appear out of no where.

Was it perhaps the new clearing? While he didn't notice anything dangerous there was a faint magical energy around it different from the rest of the forest. He sat down and fought the urge to run away from the unfamiliar place and kept his eyes shut. The girl looked to be his age, black hair and pale skin. She was playing in a similar clearing also at the base of a hill with a similar looking tree at its edge. He watched as she danced in the sunlight, delighted by the butterflies that would fly around her as she twirled. He giggled and that seemed to catch her attention. She tilted her head, a tilt that Draco was beginning to recognize, and grinned a huge toothy grin as she ran up to him. She leaned down and he could see her jade green eyes full of wonder and excitement.

"Hi! I'm Tempest! But you can call me Tempy. I wondered when you would come to play. Daddy said you would but waiting is sooooo boring!"

A young five year old Draco was too thrilled and excited by the prospect of making a friend that he dismissed the strangeness of the whole situation.

"I'm Draco! You're right, waiting is dreadful!"

He spent hours playing with this girl, all the while sitting in the clearing with his eyes closed. When he got up to leave, he turned to say good bye to his new friend only to find her gone when she had been standing next to him not a minute before. He realized what he had done and had been upset, thinking that perhaps it really had all been his imagination.

After having answered to his father, his mother as assumed his melancholy had been due to that so she had let him be. She wasn't to know that he was actually mourning a friendship he thought he didn't truly have.

The memory started to fade but he caught flashes of other times he had gone to the clearing and had done the same thing and had found her each time. He stopped going that far out as he began to attend school and soon stopped going off the property altogether so it had been years since he had seen the clearing. He recalled getting flashes of the girl as he grew up but with his fathers teachings molding him into the bully he had become he dismissed the girl as a childhood fantasy. When he had started to question his father and himself, the flashes became more frequent and sometimes he could swear he could hear her talking to him. When the Dark Lord had returned, the flashes stopped completely. Sometimes he could feel something, a magic not his own, envelop him as if someone was embracing or holding him close. It felt familiar and safe, comfort in the dark that had become his life.

He opened his eyes and locked onto hers, a jaded green that he knew all too well. She smiled and tilted her head.

"Tempy?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"It's been a long time, Draco."


	3. Explanations and Trio Update

All Around Me Ch. 3

Explanations and Trio Update

Draco stared in disbelief at the girl he had made himself believe was just an imaginary friend. She had grown up but she was still the same girl he had been so fond of. His mind in a whirl he broke eye contact and looked past her only to realize they had been walking while the memory had played out in his mind. They were in a clearing at the base of a hill, a blackened hollow tree at its edge. The clearing they had played in together. On the ground were bloodstains and pieces of cloth that also had blood on it. He walked towards them and took in the area before looking back at her.

"This is where we first met." He stated in a far off voice.

"This is also where I found you, three days ago."

He visibly startled at that. "Three days?"

"Yes, it was touch and go for a bit. You were covered in wounds and, though I don't believe you knew it, had a few broken bones. From the state you were in and what I could feel, you had been running for your life. I healed you as best I could and just had to hope for the best." She shrugged but he could see some of the remaining tension in her from finding him like that.

He continued to look around, trying to piece together the information in his head. He walked up to the tree and placed his hand on its trunk, staring into the hollow.

"When I was running, I ran past the boundaries. I ended up in the hollow of an old tree. I was praying to anyone who would listen to save me, I was just waiting to be found and killed." His voice seemed as hollow as the tree as he recounted the memory. "The tree almost felt safe. Its strange to say that now knowing that I was found. I heard my aunt cast the curse. I saw the green light as it sped towards me. Then suddenly I was here." He turned from the tree back to her. "Tempy, how am I here and what does that gold flash have to do with it?"

She walked up beside him and placed her hand on the tree next to his.

"Did you ever wonder, Draco, why our clearings looked so similar?" He paused, thinking about it for a moment answering.

"Not really, I was a kid. I just knew I had made a friend and was happy with that. Father wouldn't let me make friends that he couldn't use for some future influence."

She sighed at that. "I know he's gone now so I'm sorry but I always disliked that man. The way you talked about him, it seemed like he only saw you as a puppet he could jerk around. Before you left for school your eyes had lost some of their shine and shadows were growing in them. I was afraid for you, afraid you would lose who you were because of him."

He watched her face fall at that, her eyes turning sad.

"I think I almost did." He whispered. "At least I did for a while. I became him, an elitist bully. I made the lives of my classmates hell for no reason other than fathers teachings said they were scum and we were above them. By then I had convinced myself you weren't real, the rare vision I had of you was just a memory of my childhood imagination."

"I figured it was something like that." She shook her head slowly. "I could see you sometimes. I would try and reach out but you were so far gone I couldn't get to you. It was a few years before I could see you clearly again and I could swear you could see me too, without the hateful filter your father had instilled in you,"

He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I started to question everything. At school I had so much proof against everything I had been taught. My fathers words were wrong. I started to question you again as well. I knew as a child you felt so real and if I could be wrong about what my father swore was true, could I be wrong about you?" He closed his eyes and threaded his fingers with hers. "Then the Dark Lord returned. It changed… everything. Even if I was different, if I didn't believe anymore and wanted out there was no way out. No way that seemed safe. I thought maybe I could reach out to Potter or Dumbledore but I knew who I was. A Malfoy wanting to turn to the light? They would've thought it was a trick, I would never be trusted, not after everything that had passed between us. It was like drowning, Tempy. No matter how bad I wanted to fight I felt like I had nothing to grab on to and I slowly sank."

She reached up with her other hand and ran her hand through his hair to soothe the trouble expression that had taken over his features.

"I tried so hard to reach you, to let you know that I was there for you. I think at most all I could get across was bits of my magic."

His lips turned n a small smile, "I couldn't see you at all anymore but in the worst times I could feel something. Almost like the hugs we would share when we were kids. It helped me so much. It was a comfort I didn't think I would receive." He pulled her into a gentle embrace and she returned it gladly, resting her cheek against his bandaged chest.

They were quiet then, a light wind blowing through the trees around them, holding each other.

"The clearing near your home and this one are connected, Draco." Tempy spoke softly, breaking the silence.

He gently pulled away and looked down into her eyes, "Connected? Like a passageway?"

She scrunched her face up in thought, "Kind of. It's not something just anyone can pass through." She held up her wrist and motioned for him to do the same. He lifted his and as it neared hers he felt his body hum.

"You feel it too, yeah?"

He nodded slowly, the majority of his attention on their wrists where a circle of golden light had begun to form around them, his right and her left.

"Try not to think of them as shackles, though they certainly look the part. Bracelets maybe?"

He turned his attention back to her has the shackles solidified and the light they emitted dimmed.

"What are they?"

She reached out and stroked the side of his shackle, "They are the reason you could even find the clearing as a child, why you could see me in it, why you found yourself in that hollow last night, and how you were able to traverse here using the magic in it."

She dropped her wrist and took a small step back from him and looked back up at the tree. She could feel its magic had faded, its purpose fulfilled.

"We're bonded, Draco Malfoy."

That shook him out of his dazed stupor. His mind had been accepting of the memories and new information up until that point but that one sentence threw him out.

"Bonded?" He exclaimed incredulously, his voice rising. "How in sodding hell are we bonded? Theres whole rituals involved with bonding and I don't recall doing any of them with you."

Her eyes flashed hurt before she could mask it and he didn't miss it. He closed his eyes and cursed himself before taking a deep breath.

"Tempest, I'm sorry. I wasn't yelling at you nor was I implying that you're lying. It's just… It's just a lot to take in. I've not been awake for what a few hours, maybe? When I woke up that last thing I remembered was being about to die and then all this… It's a lot."

She regarded him closely, fearfully. Unlike him, she had known her whole life what the clearing was for and what the gold flashes around her wrist meant. She had never thought about the fact he wouldn't know until she realized he had started to lose his belief in her. She had hoped that when he finally arrived here, as her father had told her he would one day, that she could explain everything and it would make everything make sense to him. She hadn't counted on everything that would precede his arrival. She lowered her gaze from his and closed her eyes.

"Don't apologize, Draco. I should be apologizing to you. I didn't think about how all of this would affect you. You're right, it is a lot to take in, especially with everything that has happened to you. Your injuries are not even fully healed yet and here I am piling more on you." She babbled, fidgeting with her hands and her eyes still lowered.

Draco watched as the once happy and confident girl began to crumble in front of him. It felt too much like his days at school where his words were a blade cutting down whomever crossed him. His stomach twisted at the sight and he reached out to her. Before she could continue her ramblings he had her in a fierce embrace, his face buried in the waves of her raven hair.

"Stop it." He ordered. She grew quiet but remained tense in his arms. His grip on her was tight, fearful that she would push him away.

"You saved me. I would have died if you had not found me, bonding magic or not. You saved my life and did nothing wrong. You answered my questions. I'm the one who wanted the information you didn't pile anything on me. Yes, it's a lot and I'll need some time to process it all but I am not angry with you, I will not hurt you, I will not just leave or whatever it is that made you look so afraid." He pulled away and brought his hands to cup her face to look her in her eyes. The fear had begun to fade while curiosity and caution took its place.

"You were my only true friend for so long, you kept fighting to save me even when I ignored your existence. Please, don't be afraid of me. I owe you my life and so much more. Please." He kissed her forehead and pulled her in to hug her again.

With a deep breath and exhale she finally relaxed into his arms.

"Let's get back to the cabin. You need to take it easy and this day has had quite enough excitement already. I can finish up some dinner for us then you can have a shower and I'll show you where you can sleep. I promise it won't be the couch this time." She hugged him tighter before she stepped back, sliding her hand down to his and offering him a tired smile.

He gave her one back and they made their way away from the symbols of their pasts and towards the unknown of their futures.

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Voldemort was unaware of the happenings on Tempests island as he held the Cruciatus on Bellatrix. It had been three days since he spared her life and she had yet to find any trace of either Malfoys brat or the damned Chosen One.

Not only had she not found any evidence leading to either of their whereabouts, Nagini had been injured. While Bella had been searching around the countryside, he had Nagini lie in wait in Godrics Hollow. While he was not one to hold on to silly notions such as love and sentimentality, he knew the Potter brat did thus he took a chance that maybe he would visit his parents graves.

His hunch as it happens had been correct but somehow he and the mudblood bitch had escaped. His anger had flared but his concern for his soul shards vessel had tempered it. Instead of taking it out on Nagini he passed on the failure to Belletrixs punishments, as she had come back empty handed yet again.

Foam began to gather in the corners of her lips when he finally let up on the curse. She lay choking on her own saliva as he turned away from her towards the door.

"You're running out of time, Bella." Was all he said as he left her to either choke to death or make it through the night to try again with the dawn.

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Harry sat lookout as Hermione slept in the tent, the locket and his mission weighing heavily on him. Godrics Hollow had been a close call. He had hoped maybe a Horocrux would be there because for him, it was where all this had started.

Well, he had been half right, what with Nagini wearing Bagshots body to lure them into a trap. Not exactly what he had been hoping for. In the end, he had gotten to see his parents graves and the house where he would've grown up in and his wand be broken in the process. It had been a shite night.

He stared into the fire, questioning his ability to do this task, to kill Voldemort. He didn't have a way to destroy the bloody Horocruxes how in Merlins name was he going to manage to kill Voldermort? Dumbledore had not left him with much, so many secrets died with him when he was shot off the tower.

The night played in his mind as he felt his hatred for Snape grow as well as his curiosity over Malfoys reaction. He knew all year the boy had been struggling with something dark and heavy. The once proud Malfoy heir looked nothing like his former self that night. He had looked terrified, more so than when he had confronted him in the bathroom. His chest still hurt thinking about how he had almost killed him, with a spell invented by Snape no less. That night he looked about ready to die with the old man.

But he had lowered his wand, he was sure he had seen it. Relief and hope in Malfoys eyes. Then Snape had showed up and it was gone as as quickly as it had come. Malfoy ran with the rest of them and he wished he could have said something to his rival, anything to let him know that he understood. He would have offered the same help Dumbledore did but he scoffed at the idea now. How could he help when he was just as helpless now? Hiding in the forest from snatchers carrying a bit of Voldemorts soul around his neck, lost about what to do next.

Ron had run off a while back. The locket and the pressure had gotten too much for him. Harry was beyond upset but he also wished he didn't have to be the one to do this either. Seventeen was too young to have all this on ones shoulders. Hermione was coping as best she could by researching but sometimes he would catch her sniffling when she thought he couldn't hear her. The whole situation was completely buggered and he was lost.

A flash of light had caught his eye, dragging his attention back to the present. Just past the wards he could see a silvery figure in the trees. He grabbed Hermiones wand and made his way to the boundary, focusing on where he saw the figure. It showed itself again and he saw it was a doe patronus. Losing all sense of caution he followed it into the forest, armed only with the wand and the knowledge that his mothers patronus had been a doe.

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Harry and Ron sat in the tent listening to Hermione yell about running of and being irresponsible and listing off all the things that could have gone wrong.

The past hour or so was a hectic blur in Harrys mind but he couldn't keep the smile off his face. The doe had brought him to a frozen pool with The Sword of Gryffindor settled in its depths. He had stripped down, throwing all caution to the wind, and dived down to get it only to have the locket try to drag him down and drown him. As he thought he would die, Ron had jumped in and pulled him, and the sword, back up to the surface. They had used the sword to destroy the locket, after a battle of wills between the lies the Horocrux spat and Ron pushing his jealous fears aside. When they got back to the tent Hermione had been understandably upset and overwhelmed.

"Harry!"

He snapped back to attention at Hermione yelling his name.

"What? I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

She groaned and her eyes rolled up in exasperation. She shook her head as if to say never-mind before she went back to her books. Ron looked over at him and grinned, shaking his head.

Just like that, things went back to normal. Well, what was their current normal. Researching possible locations to the rest of the Horocruxes, Ron and Hermione bickering lightly, alternating watches, eating the bare minimum that they could scavenge. Ron had warned them that the Dark Lords name was now Taboo so they were careful not to speak it. Their research was slow going, only guessing that the last two Horocruxes other than Nagini had to do with Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw. The high of destroying the locket was beginning to wear off.

It was when they were sitting outside by the fire, preparing for supper a pair of rabbits, Ron had accidentally stunned them when they had spooked him earlier on his watch, that Harry noticed an owl circling the wards with a scroll and a parcel attached to it leg. He stood up and walked away from the fire, watching it fly around again and again. He had the thought that maybe it was for one of them.

Not wanting to take a chance on it being a trap, he raised the wand and aimed carefully before whispering the spell.

"_Stupefy!"_ The spell hit its mark and the owl fell to the ground just outside the wards. He surveyed the trees carefully, watching for anyone or anything that might be waiting for him to emerge. When he felt it was safe he levitated the owl and brought it through. He walked back to the fire with the owl in tow.

"More meat for dinner, Harry? Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed in giddy anticipation.

Harry held up his hand, "No, not quite, Ron. He has been flying around our wards for a while with a scroll and a parcel. I thought it might be for one of us-" Hermione jumped up and cut him off, her voice shrill.

"Harry! It could be cursed! Or a portkey! or-"

"Hermione, I'm not that bloody stupid! I stunned it, it fell outside the wards and I watched for a bit. Nothing happened so I levitated it here. You're better at detection charms so I was going to ask you to do some before we decided what to do next." Harry argued, a bit offended that she would go off on him like that.

She looked a bit chastised at his explanation and offered him an apology before asking for her wand. He sighed and told her not to worry about it as they were all starting to get a bit run down. He handed her the wand and she cast the necessary spells. Her brow furrowed when only one came up.

"'Mione?" Ron asked, noticing her expression."

She shook her head, "Theres nothing bad on it however theres a charm on the writing and on the seal of the box. You would use them to hide messages you wouldnt want anyone other than the intended person to read or open."

"Ok, so what does that mean for us? Who would risk sending us something like that?"

"I don't know, Ron, but it may be important. Maybe even information that could help us in our research."

"Well, we won't know until we open it," Harry stated, kneeling down beside the owl and removing its burden before releasing it from the spell. It jumped up and ruffled its feathers while giving him an agitated glare. Hermione reached over and offered it a bit of rabbit to soothe it, which it snapped up quickly before spreading its wings and taking flight again.

"I guess whoever sent it didn't require a reply." Ron mumbled as they watched Harry unroll the scroll. His eyes grew wide and he dropped the paper in shock.

"Mate?" Ron went to Harry as Hermione picked up the parchment and gasped. All three of them turned their attention to the elegant script they had come to recognize over their last 6 years of school.

_Dear Potter,_


	4. Accepting the Bond and Decisions Made

The song used in this chapter is "All Around Me" by Flyleaf. It was the song I was listening to when I originally had the seedling of an idea for this fic. Any music I use in this, or any other fic I write for that matter, will probably not be from canon time period. Apologies if that bothers you but it is what it is, my dudes.

I own nothing but my own character and plotline.

All Around Me ch 4

Accepting the Bond and Decisions Made

The days following Tempests reveal at the clearing were a struggle for Draco. It wasn't just coming to terms with everything he had been told or recovering from the near death trauma he had endured. It was the issue of who he was taught to be constantly fought with the person he really was.

When he took to helping Tempest finish up supper and cleaning up afterward, half of him wanted to rage that this wasn't work a proper wizard or witch would do, that it was house elves work. Before he could voice the thought the other half fought them down, reminding him that this wasn't him, that he used to love helping the elves with meals and some tasks before his father had intervened. That its only right he help her as she was taking care of him.

It happened again when she showed him to the guest room and bath. The finery he had grown used to, even while under Voldemorts occupation, was no where to be found and he found the spoiled entitled brat in his head spitting venom on the rooms inferiority. Everything from the bedding to the drapes and the toiletries. Again, before such thoughts could be voiced they were silenced yet again, arguing that he barely noticed any of the finer linens and items in his home the last few months. The bed looks comfortable and a hot shower would be heave no matter what the soaps or size of the bathroom.

It angered him, that this lovely and kind girl would open her home to him, even if she was his bonded, and all he could do was fight off that snobby git his father had raised him to be. He thanked her for everything, of course. He refused to let her feel inferior or like she had let him down. Not after what happened at the tree. No matter what internal battle he had to fight, he didn't want to drag her down with it. He spent the days fighting it alone and sunk more and more into himself.

She knew he was fighting himself and trying to handle all the recent events. He wouldn't talk about what to do next. He was just kind of floating through the days. It only took a couple for her to run out of patience with it and start to attempt to break him out of the shell had had started to form around himself in the pretense of not allowing her into his personal battles.

Whenever he started to stare off she would purposefully startle him, toss something at him for him to catch quickly, one time jumping on his lap as he sat on the couch watching the sunset through the window. Each time he almost lashed out verbally, a hint of a sneer, before he reigned it back in and closed back off. She would huff on the inside and plan another attack. It went like this for days, a polite tension has he tried to fight alone and she tried to break him free from himself.

The tension shattered one morning while she was cooking breakfast. Draco had been correct when he assumed some of the items in her home were muggle in origin. She had something called a CD player in the kitchen next to the stove that played music. Not music that he had heard before but she liked it and truth be told it didn't sound too bad. He sat at the table watching her as she swayed with the music and lightly sang along. He smiled as he watched. The voices were warring with each other louder than they had been and watching her brought him a small peace among the storm in his mind.

The brat took this and started raging how Malfoys don't need the comfort of inferior creatures. That set off the more humble side into a defensive rage. How dare this pompous arse demean the kindness bestowed upon them?

During this internal battle he did not notice her walk to him. She quickly grabbed his hands and pulled him up to dance with her.

"Bloody hell, woman, let me go!" He bellowed but she refused. She had had about enough.

"Oh, drop the pure-blood bullshite, Malfoy!" She roared back. He sneered at her but she ignored it and continued on.

"I get it, ok!? I may not have had the same childhood you had but, least you forget, I watched it all happen to you! I had to watch as your soul was slowly dying from your arsehole of a fathers suffocating teachings! I tried for years to break through it all to get to you because unlike you, I knew all those days we spent together were real! I had to live with the knowledge that I couldn't save you then! Well, guess what!? You're here now, you escaped a terrible nightmare and have the knowledge you should've had long ago. You have a chance to correct your wrongs, lose the pretentious upbringing, and bloody well be happy! I know you're fighting yourself, I can see it in your eyes and feel it when you try to close it off. For Circes sake, Draco, LET ME IN! What's the point in the fates deeming us to be soul bonded if you wont trust me to help you when you need it?"

Tears were streaming down her face by this point, her small hands balled into fists as she stared him down.

And all he could respond with was, "Soul bonded?"

She lets out a strangled yell, "Yes, you daft idiot! Soul bonded! Before either of us was even born our souls were connected. Thats why we have the golden shackles, thats why you could find the clearing and see and interact with me, and thats why, even though you blocked it off as much as you could, I was able to see you and reach out. Thats why when you were running blind through the forest you were able to find the tree and finally use its magic to come to me. I tried to explain this all before but you needed time and I respected that but fucks sake, Draco, this is beyond needing to adjust! You're allowing yourself to fall deeper into this pit of misery! You're bottling it all up and it needs to come out! Let that asshole of a pure-blooded prick show his face and I'll put him down! He is not you! He is who you're fucking father tried to mold you into and you're wasting time arguing with him when you could've just asked for my help! I'm not saying the habits and feelings or even the snide inner remarks will disappear over night, but let me in and together we can undo the years of abuse and brainwashing. Let me in... please..." Her voice cracked and faded out on the end of her plea and he could only watch as she fell to her knees on the floor and cried.

He looked down at her, the voices quiet. He felt like an arse. He hadn't wanted to make her cry, hadn't wanted her to suffer his problems. Yet here he was, having made the whole situation worse. Looking back on the days past, he could see her actions for what they were, trying to drag him out and save him from drowning again, this time in his own self pity. She was right, he couldn't fight this alone.

He knelt down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, resting her head in the crook of his neck and started shushing her, then humming the tune to the song she had been trying to get him to dance to. He had heard her singing it before but he didn't know the name. It was a nice song.

He lifted her to her feat and held her close, swaying with her to the music, rubbing her back gently.

"I can feel you all around me, thickening the air I'm breathing, holding on to what I'm feeling, savoring this heart thats healing." He sang the chorus of the song as he danced with her and he could feel a ghost of a smile against his chest. He pulled her away but still kept her encircled in his arms, continuing the dance.

She looked up at him and they danced, singing the song together. They smiled and laughed a bit as he twirled her around the kitchen. The song nearly over, she held up her hand to him and sang,

"Take my hand I give it to you, now you own me, all I am"

He looked deep into her eyes, threaded his fingers with hers and squeezed it tight,

"You said you would never leave me, I believe you, I believe"

With the song now playing out its final chorus, he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss upon her lips.

Golden light erupted from their wrists as their shackles came into permanent being and surrounded them. Their kiss did not break. What would seem hours to them was mere seconds, but the effect was immediate. There was a silence in his mind yet a new and faint whisper in his consciousness. The glow ebbed away and they parted, eyes opening wide and questioning.

"Draco… you accepted the bond." She watched his eyes, gauging his reaction.

He was silent for a moment before he kissed her cheek and pulled her in for a hug,

"I know."

"I thought you needed time?" She asked, her question muffled against his chest.

"I did, but you were right. I closed off and started to fall right back where I was. I should've let you in sooner. I'm so sorry I made you cry." He stroked her hair as he spoke, not wanting to let her go just yet.

"_You have to let me go sometime, love." _A voice flitted through his thoughts. His eyes shot to hers and she smiled up at him. "_Can you hear me then?"_

He blinked a few times before responding. "_You know, when you asked me to let you in, this isn't exactly what I had in mind."_

She laughed happily at that. "You're wit is back. Thats a good sign."

He smirked at her mirth, "How is that possible? Its not Legilimency."

"No, love, it's not." She answered, "It's part of the bond. Once you accepted it, it opened our minds to each other. With practice, we should be able to speak to each other over some distance but that takes some time."

He looked at her awestruck. "How do you know all of this? The shackles, which yes can we call them bracelets because neither of us are anyones slave or prisoner, the clearing, the telepathy, all of it?"

She motioned for him to sit down and walked back to the counter where she had left their breakfast under a warming charm. After bring it to the table and serving both of them she sighed and began her story,

"There was always a legend in my family line. That the first daughter born to the line would be a soul bonded. As far back as I can trace my paternal linage, its been all males. You know as well as I that soul bonded souls are extremely rare. Lets not use the term soulmate as, lets face it, its over used by love sick teenagers. Makes it seem less valid. Now, I don't know the origins of soul bonds but my father used to tell me that he thought they were the souls of the first witches and wizards that Magic Herself blessed with her powers and the bond-mates she chose for them. He never told me why he thought so but he was firm in that belief. As the legend ran in my family they spent centuries gathering what information they could in order to better prepare the girl when the time came."

Draco had started eating as she was telling her story but had since put down his fork and his full attention was on her.

"Thats mental! Brilliant, but to believe in a legend so strongly that you spend so much effort over centuries?"

She raised a brow at him and he waved his hand dismissively, "I'm not saying the bond is mental, just the dedication. Not many would take it to such a degree. I, for one, am glad they did so at least one of us would know whats going on."

She shook her head but grinned at him, "Yes, well, thats how I know. Father would tell me stories all the time of the few soul bonded he knew about. That they were perfect for each other and that one day, mine would show up in my clearing. I took to playing there every day waiting and waiting for you to show up and then you finally did! I was so happy."

"Waiting is dreadful, isn't it?" He smirked, recalling their first meeting. She giggled as she went to take a bite of food. "What about your mum? What did she have to say about all this?"

She went still and her eyes fell to her plate. "My, eh-hem, my mum died when I was a baby. Killed by the Dark Lord."

Immediately, he felt like putting his head and fist through a wall. His head because he had brought up a painful subject and his fist in anger at the pain that that snake faced bastard had caused her. He reached out and took her hand.

"I'm sorry, Tempy, I didn't mean-"

"No, no, you didn't know, Draco. It's ok." She wiped a tears away and shook her head. "Father wasn't home and he came. She tried to fight him off but she wasn't strong enough. Mum wasn't powerful, nearly a squib but she was a whiz at potions and her knowledge of herbology was vast. I believe you may have referred to her as a hedge witch? Never went to Hogwarts. Father did though, he was a Slytherin. She learned everything that had been passed down through her family. Things she would have taught me. Father kept all her familys journals and books so I could learn but it's not the same."

She looked out the window, the skies growing gray inside the wards. It had been a while since she had let the rain reach the island. It would do the plants and animals good.

"Father moved us here just after His downfall. We never found out why I was left alive. He didn't want to take any chances that his followers would come and find us. I've been here ever since."

"You've been here with no contact except for your father? And I thought I had a lonely childhood." He grimaced.

"Oh, don't be silly. I had you, too." She stood up and brought her plate and cutlery to the sink and began cleaning. "You made it better and my father was amazing. He helped me learn everything one would learn at Hogwarts, even told me I would make a lovely Hufflepuff."

He cocked a brow at the comment as he placed his dishes on the counter and she smacked him with a towel, "Don't you go all anti-puff. I'll have you know their house just as good and valid as any. Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness? Ring any bells? Remind you of anyone?"

He scoffed, "With that modesty you're showing now and the way you were roaring fiercely earlier I would peg you for a bleeding Gryffindor."

That made her snort, "Not, my crowd thank you very much. Plus, I look hideous in red."

"Ah ah ah, you were up in arms over Hufflepuff. Wheres your love for Gryffindors? What happened to they're all just as good as one another?" He teased.

She shoved him playfully, "Oh, shut up, you prat. I just happen to prefer Badgers and Snakes."

He chuckled and stroked her cheek before returning to clearing the rest of the dishes. They worked in a contented silence for a bit, just enjoying the lack of tension that had hung over the house. He still felt terrible that he had made her cry but he was glad that things looked to be on the mend. The voices were still there but barely a whisper now. He could still recognize the bratty spoiled puppet his father had made him but he could still connect to his root self and the bond thrummed bright and strong in his mindscape. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he could breathe again.

DMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDM

Evening found them sitting on the porch watching the sunset. Draco was in quiet contemplation about what to do next. Since the voices had become manageable, he could focus on other things again. He knew outside this bubble that the war was raging on. The Dark Lord was probably still looking for him and Potter was still out there looking for Horocruxes. He shivered at the thought.

After escaping from Hogwarts and the 'celebration' afterward, He had found Snape pissed beyond all hell. He couldn't remember a time where his Godfather and mentor hadn't been in full control of himself but here he was, a bottle of Firewhiskey gone and starting on another. He had stepped in and taken the bottle from him, telling him he would regret getting so drunk. Snape had told Draco so much that night that he was glad it had been him to find him. Snapes true loyalties, Dumbledores request the end his life, Potters mission and even what and where he thought the remaining ones were hidden. If he had been a true follower he would have gone straight to the Dark Lord, hell even if he just wanted to save his skin from anymore of their torture sessions, and exposed Snape for the traitor he was.

He couldn't, no, wouldn't do it. The normally cold and stoic professor sat before him a broken man. His love and respect for the man and his own wish for Potter to succeed in vanquishing the Dark Lord made firm in his mind to keep the information to himself.

He had worked on strengthening his Occlumency shields to better protect the secret.

Now, though, he had this information he was sure Potter didn't. Information that could help him to bring down the Dark Lord once and for all. Getting it to him, however, was the issue.

As he pondered on what to do, Tempy watched him. The sun had set and the moon was high in the sky, giving his skin an unearthly glow. The wounds had long since healed but he was still a bit more pale than he would normally have been. His gray eyes were focused as the thoughts ran through his mind. She could easily take a peek if she wanted now that their bond had opened up but she refused to breach his privacy like that unless it were dire. She leaned over and kissed his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.

"Out with it, then. Tell me whats got your mind turning."

"How do you know I'm not just enjoying the night?"

"I've spent the last couple weeks relearning all your facial expressions from childhood plus a few you developed since. You give yourself away to someone who knows how to read them. Besides, I can feel it. Whats wrong?" She reached down for his hand.

He took it and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently. He looked out over the cliffs and shook his head.

"Potter. I have information that could possibly help him end all of this but I have no way to get it to him. I'm safe here with you in this bubble while the war is still going on out there." He leaned his head against hers, "I've been a coward most of my life. I've stood by while bad things happened, even participated in some. I have a chance to make a difference and I don't know how."

She joined him in his contemplation, trying to think of something that would help him. The sounds of the forest ambiance wrapped around them. The night birds sang in harmony around them, interrupted periodically by the soft hoots of the islands owls. Her eyes were closed, enjoying the sounds when an idea hit her.

"You can owl them memories!"

"What are you on about?" He asked as she jumped up, leaving him to almost fall over.

"Memories? You know, you view them in a pensive? You can tell me everything you want to tell him and we can send my memory along with the memories of how you came about the information. We could even invite them here. If what I gathered from our conversations is correct, they're probably in need of a respite. We can send them the memories, with a portkey keyed only to them."

"Ok..." He drawled, "While I love that you're trying to help, I can't see it working."

She crossed her arms and puffed out, "Oh, yeah? Whats wrong with my brilliant plan?"

He chuckled, "Hufflepuff, my arse. Look, all I'm saying is I can't see it. They would need a pensive to view the memories and I doubt they're carrying one of those around."

"We can shrink mine down and send it to them. I know enough protection charms to keep it from breaking." She shrugged, "Next objection?"

"Um… Ok, owling it. If the Dark Lord has all his Deatheaters and the snatchers out looking for him and can't find him, how is an owl that has never met him going to find him? Not to mention he is probably behind a powerful ward, knowing Granger.'

"One, owls rarely don't reach their destination or recipient. Two, my fathers owl could find anyone he asked him to. Didn't matter the wards, distance, spells, nothing. He always delivered and I'm sure will be able to make the journey. Next."

"Ok, say the bloody owl can do this, what if hes intercepted? We cant very well send sensitive information into Deatheater hands. It would mean my Godfathers death and tip off the Dark Lord that Potter knows how to defeat him."

"This one has a simple answer although a complex execution. Write him a letter explaining that he wont be able to read your message in full without proving he is who he says he is. Once he can satisfy the requirements of the spell your real letter will appear and the box we will put the pensive and memories into will open as well. If someone were to, Merlin forbid, get my bird and removed the items that wasn't Potter, the parchment and box would disintegrate, taking with it anything hidden within. Next."

Draco sat there and stared at his bond-mate, mouth slightly ajar. He really couldn't think of anything other than he just felt sending it by owl was a bit barmy. But he wanted to help and if this could work then he decided he had to take the chance.

She tilted her head at him, a quirk he was growing to love, and poked him with her foot. "No more objections then?" She held out her hand to pull him up.

"None that I could adequately argue, sweet. Lets get inside, it's starting to get chilly."

"Good! Now, you have a letter to start, mister! Go get on that and I'll make us some cocoa."

He grinned at her and kissed her hand before she disappeared into the kitchen. Strolling over to the desk he thought about what he could say that would make Potter believe him enough to even look at the memories. He remembered the night he had last seen him, when he was running away from the school. He remembered he expected to see hatred in his eyes but had been surprised to see something else. He still wasn't sure what it had been but it gave him hope that maybe, just maybe, Potter would watch the memories.

With that in mind, he sat down and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and began to write.

_Dear Potter,_


	5. Dear Potter

Grab a snack, this is a long one. I didn't feel comfortable breaking this one up. Felt like it would disrupt the flow but maybe for some of you it will be a bit long I dont know. Either way, I hope you enjoy. Buckle up, kids.

All Around Me Ch 5

Dear Potter

_Dear Potter,_

_I'm sure by now Granger has detected the charms on this parchment. You'll need to do something to access the message and open the box. The information is crucial and if the Deatheaters got to it then your mission would be in jeopardy. _

_I realize you have no reason to trust me and will likely toss this into the nearest fire and be done with it. You looked at me once with understanding and I'm asking you do so again and trust me, even if just for this once. You need to win this war. Even if I die or end up in Azkaban, He must be stopped. _

_Solve the riddle to get the key. Granger, you may have to help him._

_What is our difference yet our similarity?_

_What makes you you and me me?_

_What caused many of the hateful words I have said?_

_If you lose too much you'll end up dead_

_Yours belongs to you and only you_

_Others have their own too_

_Riddles are not my strong suit and my companion thinks this might be too obvious but time is an issue so I hope that it is good enough. I couldn't just outright say what to do in case this letter was intercepted. Once you have the answer you have the key. Put it on the parchment. Be warned, Potter, the key is specific to YOU. If Granger or Weasley try to use the key, the parchment will burn and the box will destroy itself along with the contents you need. It''s a risk I had to take, this can not fall into enemy hands._

_Whatever you do from here on, Harry Potter, I wish you luck. _

_Draco Malfoy_

Three shocked faces stared at the letter, reading it and rereading it. It was completely mental. Not in their wildest imaginings did they think Draco Malfoy of all people would have sent the message. It couldn't be real. It HAD to be a trick.

"Well, thats that then. Into the fire." Ron stated with finality and reached for the box.

"Ron! NO!" Harry shouted and grabbed the box from his hands. "You can't just chuck it in there! What if what he's said is true? It could be what we need!"

Rons ears went red, "Are you seriously considering that _Malfoy, _ferret faced blood supremacist Deatheater_ scum _is actually trying to help us? You're barking, mate."

"Yes! You weren't there that night! You didn't see him as I did! He wanted nothing to do with what was happening! I told you Dumbledore offered him help! I told you he lowered his wand!"

"He was barmy, too, then! Malfoys are dark and want You-Know-Who to kill us all! No good could come from trusting a Malfoy!"

"You don't know that, Ron!"

"Enough!"

Both boys jumped and looked at Hermione. She looked between them and shook her head.

"Whether we can trust him or not can be argued later. There are no tracking charms or anything dangerous on the letter. With personal bias as our main source of information at the moment, I say we solve the riddle and see what he has to say. We keep checking for changes as we go and we can make a decision after we have seen all he has to say." Her voice left little room for argument, even as Ron still seethed.

"Fine, but I'm telling you, no good will come from it." He lowered his voice into a harsh whisper and leaned to Hermione. "I can't believe you would give this a go, he was the worst to you."

She glared at him and took the letter from Harry, "Personal feelings don't need to be involved right now, Ronald. If he is legitimately offering information that could help us, we shouldn't turn it down just because he is or was an evil git." With that she held up the letter and read the riddle.

"_What is our difference yet our similarity?_

_What makes you you and me me?_

_What caused many of the hateful words I have said?_

_If you lose too much you'll end up dead_

_Yours belongs to you and only you_

_Others have their own too"_

Harry and Hermione mulled over the words as Ron sat back down and tended to the fire, their dinner growing cold as they sorted out this mess.

"What is our difference and our similarity? What makes you you and me me?" Harry repeated. "I mean, we're both guys but different."

She rolled her eyes, "Harry, come on you're smarter than that. That was weak and obvious."

"Oi, his letter said his companion, whoever that is, said it seemed obvious so I'm going for obvious." He defended.

"Lets look at the next bit then. 'What caused many of the hateful words I said? If you lose too much you'll end up dead?' That bit seems more helpful."

Ron scoffed, "Seems more like a threat to me."

"Ron, if you're not going to help seriously then shut it!" She snapped. He rolled his eyes and reached for his plate, intending on enjoying the rare bit of meat while it was still slightly warmed.

Harry shook his head, "Right then, I guess we could say his upbringing? His father is a hateful bastard and raised him up to be as well. Not sure on the lose too much bit though. I don't imagine losing his dad would kill him, not actually anyway."

"I don't think thats quite right either. The last verse 'Yours belongs to you and only you others have their own too' doesn't quite fit. Other people can have the same father and father doesn't fit the first verse either unless you go with the fact that you both had one but they were different."

"Obvious, my arse." Harry muttered as she continued to stare at the parchment.

Ron stared at them, bewildered.

"Have the two of you totally lost the plot?"

Their heads snapped up at his question. "What?" They asked together.

"Seriously? I'm supposed to be the daft one. Hermione, you're mind is brilliant and Harry you're no sack of rocks. Did something scramble your brains while I was gone because the answer is obvious." He set his half-eaten meal down, stood up, and snatched the paper from her hand.

"Ronald!"

"No, listen. 'What is our difference yet our similarity? What makes you you and me me? What caused many of the hateful words I have said? If you lose too much you'll end up dead. Yours belongs to you and only you. Others have their own too.' Think about it. Like really think on it. What were Malfoys main insults to us based on? Blood. I'm a blood-traitor, you're a mud-blood, Hermione, and Harry, your mother was a mud-blood making you a dirty half-blood." He had to duck to avoid being hit by both, now furious, friends. "Oi! I was just explaining! Bloody hell."

He stepped back a bit more before continuing. "That was the biggest clue next to losing too much and dying. Thats simple, you lose too much blood and you die. The rest is was trying to set it up. You both have blood, magical blood at that, but your half and his is pure. Your blood is unique to you and so is everyone else to their own. Also, whatever the key would be would be something you have to put on the parchment to cancel the spell on it. He also said it was specific to you, Harry. Thats one way blood magic works. It's an almost fool proof way to make sure no one else can break the spell. Even if Deatheaters had gotten this and somehow captured Harry to use his blood, these types of spells have provisions in them for how the blood was gotten. I'd bet that this one is that it was willing given."

Harry and Hermione looked a sight with their jaws hanging open staring at Ron.

He shifted, uncomfortably, "What?"

"How do you know so much about blood magic?" Hermione asked, her hand on her wand.

Ron noticed and groaned in frustration and indignation, "Oh, Merlins sack, Hermione, it's me!" When she didn't relax her stance he growled, "You want proof!? Fine! In first year I was complaining about how much of a nightmare you were. You heard me and ended up in the girls bathroom when the stupid troll attacked and Harry and I showed up to save you. It had Harry by the leg and I used Wingardium 'It's leviOsa not levioSA!' Leviosa. In second year, you turned yourself into a sodding cat thing because you had the wrong hairs for the polyjuice potion you illegally brewed in Moaning Murtles bathroom that happened to be the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and bloody big-arsed Basilisk. In third-"

"Ok! I'm sorry, Ron." She grimaced and relaxed her arm, "It's just that-"

"No, I get it. Ron's not smart enough to know anything more than eating and Quidditch." He grumbled as he sat back down, grabbing a stick to poke at the fire."

"Ron..."

"Look, it's alright. Just drop it." He sighed and ran his hand through his dirty hair. "To answer your question, mum and dad taught me about it. Why they never told the two of you, I don't know. Most kids in magical homes learn at least the basics of it early on to protect themselves. Never offer your blood freely unless you know where its going. Blood is powerful and I don't mean like a muggle-born is less powerful than a pure-blood or any of that shite. I mean theres power in blood and can boost spells or make protections harder to break. Thats why it makes sense to me that the answer is blood and that this is blood magic."

Silence fell over their camp as Harry and Hermione took in Rons words. Harry was still shocked and Hermione felt guilt and shame at doubting their friend. True, Ron hadn't shown much knowledge beyond Quidditch, Chess, and Defense, but that didn't mean she had to doubt him. To go as far as him feeling like he had to prove who he was killed her a little inside. This war was tearing them apart, making them distrustful. It had to end.

"Accept it or not, Ron, but I am sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you. I believe you. Blood does make sense." Ron just shrugged but he seemed to lose some of the tension at her apology. Usually he was the one having to apologize to her. It felt weird being on the receiving end.

"Right." Harry stood up and held out his hand for the letter. Ron stared at it a moment before sighing and handing it over.

"You're going to bleed on it no matter what we say, aren't you?"

"Sorry, Ron. But I have to know what he has to say."

"Alright, Harry. I'm with you, but I still say you can't trust a Malfoy."

Harry grinned despite himself. Some things would take time he supposed. He held out his hand to Hermione and she use a mild cutting curse on his palm. He let the blood pool a bit before he overturned his hand and let it drip onto the parchment. He pulled his hand away when the words started to rearrange themselves, some disappearing and some new ones coming to light. She healed the wound and the three sat close together to read the new message revealed by blood.

_Dear Harry, Hermione, and Ronald,_

_If you're reading this then you figured out the riddle and actually went through with it. Thank you for that small bit of trust. I owe you the reasons behind all this._

_Just before Christmas, the Dark Lord called my parents and I to him. We were to be executed. After He killed my father, my mother held off Bellatrix and Rodolphus and ordered me to run. A lot has happened in this time but I believe it will be easier to show you. _

_You will need to bleed on the boxes seal to open it. Sorry, Harry. Inside are vials of memories and a pensive, its shrunk down but I'd bet my whole fortune that at least Hermione knows how to unshrink it. Most are mine of what happened that night and various times that I feel you could gain information from. One is of me talking to a very drunk Severus. Believe it or not, he is on your side. There were reasons, ones known only between him and Dumbledore, for all the things he did. This memory also holds the most crucial information pertaining to your mission. _

_I know about the Horocurxes, Harry, and let me say I'm sickened that you have to do this. I won't lie and claim to be at light wizard, at most I am Grey, but that magic is taboo and against nature. It shouldn't exist. I hope what you see in the memory helps you in this task._

_The last vial you should watch, the purple crystal one, is me speaking to my companion. She explained to me it would be like watching me talk into a muggle video camera? I'm still not sure what that is but I assume you and Hermione would understand. Please handle this vial carefully._

_Thats that then. I've given you all the information I can. What you do with it is up to you. I hope you're victorious. I hope all of you live through this and get to live the lives you should instead of fighting our parents war. I hope._

_Draco_

If the first letter had been a shock this one was downright astonishing and it overwhelmed them. He had used their first names, something he had never done in all the years he tormented them. He was offering them a gold mine of information and claiming Snape was on their side? He knew about the Horocruxes? Did that mean Voldemort knew they were seeking them out?

Harry broke the contemplative atmosphere with a furious growl.

"Snape is on OUR side? Reasons only he and Dumbledore knew? It's like fucking fifth year all over again! No one wants to tell me anything, just let me run blind into deadly situations! Let the Potter brat fix things on recklessness and dumb bloody luck!" He screamed in his fury. Hot, angry tears ran down his face as he thought of the man he had looked up to but that had kept so many secrets. If he had only trusted Harry maybe they could have planned better, done things differently. And Snape? His hatred had become overwhelming for the man after he had killed Dumbledore. He was sure the slimy bat was the truest supporter of Voldemort there could be but he's on their side? Rubbish!

"Harry!" Hermione grabbed his shoulders and shook him good until he fell against her and cried through his rage.

"Just why? Why, Hermione?" He choked out the words as he tried to calm down.

"Harry, we don't know everything yet." She tried to soothe him.

"She right, mate. I wouldn't want to believe it either. I mean, its bloody Snape and Malfoy. But you both said that there was no harm in looking at the information. Lets watch the memories and then we can rage and scream and break stuff." Ron said, holding up the box.

Harry laughed like one does when they've just have enough. He was angry but they did have a mission and possibly helping hand in the form of a former(?) enemy. They would have to see what was there and figure out their next steps.

"Fine, lets get this over with. The sooner we watch, the sooner we can sort this mess out."

They went into the tent, dinner forgotten, and set up space to sit and view the pensive comfortably. Hermione once again split Harrys hand and he dripped the blood on the seal. Nothing happened at first then the seal glowed a lilac purple before disappearing, allowing the box to fall open. Hermione reached out and healed Harrys hand again before picking up what looked like a black pebble nestled in the group of memory vials.

"Is that the pensive?" Ron asked, squinting at it.

"He wasn't kidding when he said it was shrunk down." Harry mumbled as he scratched his head.

"Well, lets get started then." She waved her wand and unshrunk the pensive, drooping a bit as it reached its full size and weight. She carefully set it down in the middle of their cirlce.

"Ok, which one first, Harry?" She asked.

Harry examined the vials, noting the purple crystal one Malfoy had mentioned specifically to be watched last.

"Lets start with the one where he got away from You-Know-Who. We can work through those memories, then Snape, then the purple one." He decided.

"You notice how he mentioned muggle things in his letter? I mean, Malfoy and muggle? Bit odd, that." Ron commented as Hermione poured in the memories.

"Maybe a muggle girl helped him escape."

"Yeah, but it's Malfoy."

"Well, theres looks to be a lot we don't know about Malfoy, Ron." Harry tried to hide his frustration.

"Ok boys. Whenever you're ready."

The trio stared down into the silvery surface before grabbing hands and plunging into the pensives depths. Harry had done this many times in the past years so he was used to the sensation but Ron and Hermione took a moment to catch themselves. When they were able to focus they saw Malfoy and his parents walking flanked by the LeStranges. They followed and watched as Lucius Malfoy fell to the killing curse.

Harry choked up as Narcissa threw her sister and brother-in-law back away from them and told Draco to run. He watched as she was struck down by the killing curse, saw the expression on her face that Draco never saw. Love, sorrow, regret, hope. She had truly loved her son.

They turned away and found themselves staring into a tree hollow where Draco had found shelter. They could hear the Lestranges getting closer and could see the resignation in Draco that he was going to die. As Belletrix fired her spell, they watched as he seemed to just fade away, the light of the spell hitting inside the empty tree. The memory became hazy for a minute before they were standing in a new place. It looked similar to the place they were before but there was no snow. The moonlight above was enough to see Draco laying on the ground, holding his wand out. They followed his wand point and saw a girl also wand at the ready.

"Draco?" They heard her ask, lowering her wand.

They watched a myriad of emotions pass on his face before he asked her for help and passed out. The memory ended here and they were back sitting around the pensive, adjusting to everything they had just seen.

"His mum… She died to save him. Like my mum did for me..." Harry whispered.

Hermione nodded, "He didn't want to leave her. You could see it. Sweet Circe, I couldn't imagine."

Ron was quiet but looked sick. He was terrified that one day he would hear the name of one of his family on the wireless as one of the new casualties. He didn't think he would have been able to leave him mum if she ordered him to go. Whether that made Malfoy a coward or brave he wasn't sure.

"What was that at the end there? It wasn't apparition." Harry pondered as he returned the memory to the vial and readied the group of other memories.

Hermione shook her head, "I don't know. I've never heard of just fading like that. I saw gold flash around his wrist just before and when that girl had her wand drawn, her wrist flashed as well."

"It reminded me of something but I can't remember it. Like something in my childhood but I can't remember it clearly." Ron rubbed his eyes, in thought.

"Don't sweat it, mate. I'm sure you'll remember. Lets get through the rest of these. I have a feeling they're not going to be much better."

Harry wasn't wrong. Although they did see a bit of his first awakenings after that first night for the most part the memories were from before that. For the next few hours they followed Malfoy through memories of raids, Deatheater meetings, and times where he was alone just wishing for it all to be over. They even overheard him on a few occasions mumbling out loud about how Potter needs to hurry up and end this madness. They learned about Deatheater movements, captives, going ons at Hogwarts, plans for the Wizarding World after Harry was killed, etc. Lots of information they could use if needed. Finally, it was time for the Snape memory.

"Do we take a break? It's nearly dawn now." Hermione stretched and her body sang with pops and creaks from sitting so long.

Ron shook his head, "We've come this far. It just these last two. We can get through it then sleep on it if we need to."

Harry nodded his head in agreement. "Just a little more then we can decide what to do." He stored the memories and grabbed the one labeled 'Snape', pouring it in and preparing himself. The hatred he felt was still there but it was a confused hatred now instead of the firm and roaring flame that had been there before.

He took a deep breath before looking at the others. "Ready?"

"Ready" They answered in unison. Together they submerged themselves back into the pensive.

This time they found themselves at a door, Snapes quarters they assumed. Malfoy reached out, knocking, asking if Severus was there. The sound of glass breaking was his answer and he rushed inside with his wand drawn. The sight that had met him was the cold, stoic Professor Snape on the floor among the broken pieces of a fire whiskey bottle, absolutely pissed and sobbing. Malfoy had immediately shut and warded the door against entry before he magicked away the glass. He fell to his knees beside his Godfather and helped him to sit up.

"Severus!? What the devil do you think you're doing?" He rushed out as he checked his vitals, making sure he was just drunk and not injured.

"He asked me to do it, Draco. Said it was to save your soul, to make my loyalty unquestioned. I had to do it. Harrys mission." He wretched himself from Malfoys grasp and stood, stumbling over to the desk. He pulled out another bottle of the amber liquid, yanked off the top and took a long draft before he fell back into his chair.

Malfoy approached him cautiously. "What do you mean, Severus? What about Harrys mission?"

Severus eyed him angrily then, "Why do you want to know, boy? Going to turn me into the Dark Lord? Hm? Your father would. I used to look up to him, considered him a friend and everything. It was an honor when he named me your Godfather. Now look, hes a spineless coward kissing the robes of that madman-" Draco took the bottle out of his hands and vanished it.

"You insolent brat! How dare you-" He snarled but Malfoy pushed him back down and got right in his face.

"Shut your gob, you idiot! Have you gone round the bend? If anyone else hears you talking like that, you'll be killed. No, you'll be tortured until they get every bit of information out of you, then kill you in the worst way possible!"

"You don't need to tell me that, I've lived with this madness since before you were born!"

"Exactly! I shouldn't have to say it! Yet here we are, you I don't even know how many drinks in, at least a bottle from the looks of it, and me trying to keep you from outing yourself as a bloody spy!"

Snape glared at him with tear filled eyes, self-hate and sorrow in deep black pools.

"Severus, in all the time I've known you I have not once seen you lose control. Why now? Why today? If you're a spy for the light, you are going to die if you can't keep it together."

Snape shrugged out of his hold and leaned forward with his head in his hands.

"Harry and his sidekicks broke into the Ministry today. Umbridge was furious they had managed to sneak in and get away. I looked through her memories and found the reason why they attempted such a thing." He paused and regarded his Godson. Lucius was a coward and strong supporter of the Dark. Draco, though, seemed to at least not be supportive of the Dark Lords agenda. He recalled the past year and how much he struggled with everything, how he stalled as long as he could. He knew the boy didn't want a part of this, no matter how much he talked it up to him when they were at school.

"What side are you on, Draco?" He asked him, his drunken stupor vanishing for a brief moment.

Taken aback, Malfoy sat and thought about his answer. Had anyone else asked he would have proclaimed his loyalty to their Lord. However, Snape required a completely honest answer. He trusted Snape, if anything they both would have dirt on each other should one of them turn in the other.

"Not his. I don't know that I could be a light wizard. No one would trust me, as a Malfoy. But I don't want this. I stopped believing my blood was better years ago, Severus. There was just nothing I could do when He returned. Between him, father, and the fact that no one would have trusted me if I went for help… there was nothing I could do."

Snape watched him then nodded, his answer satisfying whatever he was looking for.

"The Dark Lord made seven Horocruxes, Draco."

Malfoy flew back away from Snape as if he had slapped him. He was horrified. Seven Horocruxes? That magic was forbidden and for good reason. It was unnatural and disgusting. No one was supposed to cheat death, yet with seven Horocruxes there was no way to kill him and end this war. Despair started to settle in his heart.

Noticing the horror on his face he continued, "I know for a fact two have been destroyed and I suspect a third will soon follow." He sat back and rubbed his temples, the alcohol pounding in his blood stream. He reached into his robes and pulled out a few potions and down them quickly. The relief washed over him as well as his sense of control. He shook his head and regained his usual stoic manner. Malfoy was staring at him in shock with blown eyes.

"Do I need to Obliviate you or shall I continue and we can strengthen your Occlumency shields?" He asked, his wand drawn and between Malfoys eyes. He received a glare in return as his wand was slapped away.

"Oh, now you question whats come out of your mouth. Tell me, Severus. If anything happens to you before it does me then maybe at least someone will have the information."

"You say that as if you plan on telling someone."

"Does Potter know?"

He hesitated, "No… Albus said he wasn't to know. Not until the final moment." He spat out the word like a sour wine. Malfoy quirked an eyebrow in question. "Albus felt the boy shouldn't knew certain details until the right time. I always argued against it, telling him if he expected Harry to live long enough to win, then he needed as much information as we could give him. My oath to Albus prevented me from revealing much. I suppose my oath doesn't extend to you, however."

"That's ridiculous! He expected him to go into this blind?"

"I don't know and I suppose until I cross over I never will. Albus always had his reasons but I just didn't understand this one."

Malfoy leaned against the desk and looked up at the ceiling. "What else did he tell you?" His voice was small, hopeless.

"The remaining Horocruxes are Helga Hufflepuffs cup, Rowena Ravenclaws diadem, and Nagini, the Dark Lords serpent. I suspect the cup is guarded by one of the Inner Circle. I don't have any clues about the diadem. Nagini needs to be last to avoid the Dark Lords suspicion. Slytherins locket was what Albus and Harry had gone to retrieve the night I killed him. Turns out it was fake. In Umbridges mind I saw the real one around her neck. When they broke in they snatched it from her and I'm sure will be looking for a way to destroy it."

Malfoys eyebrows furrowed, "Thats only six, Severus."

The trio watched as their eyes locked onto each other, Malfoys growing in horror. They realized Snape had used Legilimency for this part.

"Thats… no, no theres no way.." Malfoy stumbled for words, choking as his throat went dry at the implications of whatever Snape had relayed to him.

"It's true." Snape whispered, regret and resignation in his voice.

"And he never thought to tell him!? The great Albus Dumbledore never thought to..." Snape jumped up and slammed his hand over Malfoys mouth.

"Silence! If anyone finds out what I've told you, any of it, we are both dead and Harry will be in worse danger than he was before. Yes, I wanted to tell him but I couldn't! Not until Albus deemed it the right time. I hate it, I see you hate it, and I'm sure once he finds out, Harry will hate it and rage about in true Gryffindor fashion. Now, quiet down or I will Obliviate you!" His voice was harsh as he tried to keep Malfoy from struggling.

Malfoy glared at him but nodded. Snape released him and he righted himself, fixing his shirt and hair, "Bloody mental." He muttered under his breath.

"Draco."

"What?" He snapped.

"We will need to work on your shields. Speak of this to no one unless you get the chance to speak to Harry. If that ever happens, do what Albus wouldn't and I couldn't. Tell him everything, including the seventh. Help him get rid of it if you can. Albuss plan can't be the only way."

Malfoy looked solemn before speaking, "I honestly don't know if I will live long enough to even see him fight the final battle but you have my word, if I can, I will tell him everything." Snape nodded and turned his chair away from him. He went to leave but stopped short, "Severus, what did you mean, save my soul?"

Snapes tired voice flowed from behind the chair, "Murder does things to your soul, Draco. You have never taken a life and while you have done some bad things your soul is still untainted. Albus was dying from a curse placed on a Horocrux he destroyed. He wanted me to get in firm with the Dark Lord to protect the students and Harry and to save you from the taint. So he asked me to put him out of his misery, give him a meaningful death. Now, go to bed. Leave an old wizard to his solitude. We shall begin your refresher lessons tomorrow."

The memory ended with Malfoy inclining his head and exiting the room. Hermione and Ron locked eyes once out of the pensive and instantly turned to Harry.

Anger swam in his eyes as he stood and bolted out of the tent. They followed him not a second later to find him lashing out at a tree, blood already running down his arms from his hands, screams flowing from his lips uncaring of the world around him.

"WHY?" He kept screaming, asking no one as no one knew the answer. The sight had shocked them into stillness but they shook it off and ran towards their friend, dragging him back into the safety of the tent as he raged. He flailed about, trying to slip from their hold, nearly knocking over the pensive in the process.

"LET ME GO! THAT BASTARD! WHY COULDN'T HE JUST TELL ME? WHY COULDN'T HE TRUST ME?" He roared but Ron and Hermione held him tight and pinned him down to the floor.

"Mate, you need to control yourself! Calm down!" Ron pleaded, Harrys magic crackling around them.

Hermione grabbed his face and forced her to look into her eyes. "Harry, you're going to give us away if you can't reign it in! If you can feel his anger he can probably feel yours! Remember why we watched this! To get information, to decide if we could trust Malfoy or Snape! Please, Harry, get it together!"

Harry closed his eyes and let out an anguished yell before he deflated and broke down. They let out a sigh or relief as the fury in his magic calmed. They laid on either side of him, arms tight around him as he worked through the storm in his mind.

When his breathing had evened out he made to sit up. They let him go and they examined him, seeing his eyes bloodshot and arms still covered in blood from the as yet unhealed wounded hands. There was spots of blood all around them from him fighting their hold but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Ron went to grab Harry some water as Hermione grabbed her bag and searched for some potions to help with the pain and healing. She murmured some minor spells to close the skin and make sure he didn't break any bones as he drank to potions. Ron handed him the water and he drank it gratefully. Once he was healed, they settled back around the pensive.

"Thanks guys, and I'm sorry. Just… We would've been so much better off had he been honest with us. I don't understand the game. If I don't understand the game, how can I strategize to win it? It makes no sense. Then to have Malfoy, of all people, tell us? It mental."

Ron clapped a hand on his shoulder, "I hear ya, mate, but we also have to decide if we can even trust the memories. You have the most experience out of us when it comes to these. Did they seem real?"

He nodded confidently, "Yeah, they did. I'm not an expert but they seemed as real as any of the real ones Dumbledore had shown me before. I think we can trust them, but I'm still peeved that we were left blind."

Hermione put the memory back in its vial, the carefully held out the purple one to Harry. "Last one. He said be careful with this one."

"Right." Harry straightened up and poured the memory in. "Lets hope we can get through this one without me having another fit, yeah?" He stated, badly failing at humor. Ron and Hermione made a face but nodded, looking into the pensive. They leaned in for the final time.

They were standing facing Malfoy and behind the girl from the earlier memory. He looked better than the previous memory but still deathly pale and malnourished. He looked up at her and gave her an uncertain smile.

"Think this will work? I don't know if they'll even watch these memories, Tempy." So, her name was Tempy. Good to know, Harry thought.

The girl, Tempy, gave him a reassuring smile and reached out for his hand. "At least this way, you can you tried, love."

He squeezed her hand before letting go and sitting up straight, bring his full attention to where they would be sitting if they had been there for real.

"Harry, Hermione, and Ronald. Bet you never thought you'd hear me say your first names, much less without a sneer, eh?" He ran his hand through his hair and blew out, exposing more of his nerves. "If you are watching this then you have made it through all the other memories. I can only hope that the information in them helps you. There is one thing in them that you were unable to hear and that is the final Horocrux. This, I would like to tell you in person. I know you probably still don't know whether or not to trust me. I mean, its me, Malfoy. Bully, blood supremacist, Deatheater." His face fell at the words. "I was not kind to any of you, even after I started doubting everything. I played the role of my fathers heir, becoming just like him, even though I didn't want to. For that I will always be sorry. I can't express that enough."

He looked up and even though they were not there when this was said, Harry could feel him looking into his eyes. "I'm a coward, Harry. I should have gone to you or Dumbledore but I didn't think I would be taken seriously, that anyone would believe me and I would always be treated with mistrust. I stayed silent until it was too late to back out. You'll never know how badly I wanted to accept Dumbledores offer on that tower. He told me I could switch sides, that I was no killer. That I would be safe with the Light. I was lowering my wand, ready to go to him for sanctuary and betray my father and his Master with the hope that maybe we could get my mother out too. But I was too slow. Bellatrix and the other Deatheaters showed up and then Snape played his part as Dumbledore had decreed. There was no more hope for me, but there was hope that you could still end this war."

He went silent for a bit, looking down at his feet. They watched as Tempy got up, sitting next to him and pulling him against her, running her hand through his hair, murmuring to him. He nodded at whatever she had said and wearily looked back up.

"This has to end, Harry. I know what the three of you have been doing and I know you're probably beyond broken and knackered, especially if this is the first you're hearing some of what I've shown you in previous memories. Tempys home is safe. Its an unplotable island and well hidden. You can only get here if you've been invited. The purple crystal vial I sent this memory in is a portkey. Hermione, it didn't show up with your detection spells because it is a delayed spell, it will become active once you replace this memory in the vial. To activate it for travel, point your wand at it and say 'Tempests Cove'. If you wish to come, you can rest here without fear of discovery. I will give you the missing information and you can plan your next move. I'll help in anyway I can. I said before that I am a coward. I can't tell you that that has changed but I made a promise to Severus that I would get this information to you and I can't stand by and do nothing anymore."

He paused and looked at Tempy and smiled.

"I lost many things before getting to this point. I have more I don't want to lose. Even if this ends in my death or imprisonment, as long as He is finally dead and the wizarding world is safe again, that those I care about that are still living will be safe, then its worth it. We'll be waiting for the three of you. The portkey will deliver you to the same clearing I appeared in. Wait there and one or both of us will be there soon after. The island is small and there are wards to alert us of your arrival. Be safe out there, no matter what your decision. Good-bye and again, I'm sorry for everything." He looked away as the memory faded and they exited the pensive.

No words were said as they sat in their little circle, the morning sun bringing the few winter animals to life. They could see their fire had gone out long ago and everything was cold. Hermione quickly cast a warming charm on them and went to rekindle the fire.

Ron went out after her, beginning his walk around the perimeter to check for any breaches in the wards.

Harry sat as still as he was when he emerged. His eyes were glued to the silver wisps floating in the pensive. It had been several hours from start to finish and one hell of an emotional roller coaster.

The question was, should they believe everything they had been shown? Prior to tonight, they had been under the impression that Snape was loyal to Voldemort but the memory showed he was completely loyal to Dumbledore, going so far as to give him the death he requested. And Draco? Complete tosser that ended up being a mini Deatheater turns out to not only not believe in the Dark Lord or his cause, but wanted to help them? It boggled the mind. For the umpteenth time in so few hours he thought about how mental this all was.

"Harry?" He turned and blinked as his eyes hit sunshine. Ron and Hermione had returned and stood staring at him, silently asking him what was next.

He turned back to the pensive, full of so many answers yet more questions. Should they trust Malfoy and accept the offer of a safe haven? His mind drifted off to that night as Malfoy had run scared with the other Deatheaters and Snape had stared him down. Snape could have killed him easily or taken him with them to the Dark Lord. Snapes demeanor had been cold but he did not take advantage of Harry having been disarmed and injured from the brief _Crucio. _He remembered the look in Malfoys eyes, the one he couldn't properly identify at the time. Now, it seemed like defeat, regret, and a plea all in one. Snape in the memories looked awful, the weight of his tasks dragging him down. Malfoy had looked properly distraught and remorseful in the memories, sincere in his wish to help and by the end, hopeful that he had helped if even the smallest bit.

The wildcard in this was the girl, Tempy. They knew nothing of her other than what was in the memory. She seemed nice, kind, and she helped Malfoy but without more to go one, she was a toss up.

He started thinking in circles before he shook out of it and looked to his friends.

"I think we can trust him, At this point, we could use a rest if he's sincere. If this ends up going tits up, well, we've gotten out of scrapes before. Whats one more?" He grinned. Hermione chuckled and Ron snorted.

"I agree. If he's legitimate, he risked a lot to get us the information. We're ragged and need a new perspective and real rest. Besides, if we can escape Umbridge and the Ministry that has us as the top undesirables, well I say we could get away from Malfoy." She grinned to match Harry. They turned to Ron, knowing he would be the hardest to convince.

He crossed his arms with a scowl, "I'm not saying hes as much of an evil git as we all thought, but trust isn't something you can earn in one sitting or apology. I'm not dismissing all that he's gone through but he did have choices and didn't take them out of fear. Maybe we're just too different because if it had been me I would have tried to reach out." He reached up and grabbed his hair, stretching his back in a backward arch before coming back up and sighing. "Alright, lets go. If anything goes wrong at least I can hit him in his ferrety face."

Harry choked out a laugh at that. He was apprehensive but excited as well. At least now they had a direction and they wouldn't be sitting ducks. Sitting still never did him any good, he was action he had to move, plan or no plan. Honestly, they should have named him Harry Potter The-Boy-Who-Survived-On-Pure-Dumb-Luck.

"Alright, lets get everything packed up and we can go. Hermione, could you shrink the pensive back down and hold on to it? I'm sure Tempy would want it back after she was kind enoough to lend it to us."

They broke down their camp quickly, trying to leave no trace of themselves there for Deatheaters to track. Some snatchers had roamed close to the boundaries in recent days so they wanted to be careful, even if this island was supposedly invite only.

Once everything was packed away and the memory safe in the vial once again, they all took hold of it, and Hermione lowered the wards.

Within seconds they heard running and spotted snatchers racing towards them. They gripped the vial and she quickly placed her wand at its top.

"Tempests Cove!" She screamed. The vial glowed a brilliant purple before that familiar sensation of a hook puling their navels grabbed them and they disappeared. The last thing they saw was the snatchers faces growing angry as they reached out and missed them.


	6. Crossing the Divide

Alright, y'all, Thanks for the interest in the story. I'm loving writing it so I'm glad some people are liking it. I don't have a set update schedule. I work for the local school district and we are currently on summer holidays so I have a bit of free time. However, once school is back in session, if this story is not finished yet, updates will probably fall to Friday nights or sometime on Saturdays. For this chapter, I am adding in a couple things to their 6th year that are not canon. Nothing major just something that will help this along. I had said this was canon up to 6th year so I felt I should point this out. One last thing before we get back to the gang, I am taking my son to Wizarding World at Universal Studios as of 6/21 through 6/30. Though I'll have some downtime at the hotel and such, the probability of an update that week is slim. Let's kick it.

All Around Me Ch 6

Crossing the Divide

The sound of harsh breathing filled the empty space where the trio had been recently camped. They had managed to activate the portkey in time, without being grabbed.

Greyback and Scabior exchanged glares. They had surveyed the area for days, knowing something was there. Greyback could smell people, familiar scents at that, but they couldn't find them. If they were there, what ever they were using to hide and distort their scent was stronger than what they had encountered before. It was his insistence that these people were important, their protection measures alone proved to him they were high value, that kept them from moving on to a new area. Scabior had been frustrated with his stubbornness but hadn't wanted to risk become a new chew toy for the blasted werewolf so he went along.

Early that morning he had been awakened by guttural screams. He jolted thinking something had happened but a quick look around revealed Greyback and the others in their group rousing from their slumber with the screams as well. He had jumped up quickly, trying to locate where the screams had come from but they were suddenly silenced. He had to give it to Greyback, he had been right. The screams hadn't been far off so they began searching again in earnest.

They had been up a hill when Scabior saw the wards around the trios camp shimmer. He had called to Greyback and the group started running down the hill. The wards dropped completely and he was amazed to see who they had been tracking. Harry Bloody Potter and his mud-blood and blood-traitor companions. High value targets indeed! They were defenseless and in the open. With a feral yell they picked up their pace, nearly reaching them.

The mud-blood looked back and had shouted something as she touched her wand to their hands. It registered that they were holding onto something and as he watched their bodies being pulled away he knew it was a portkey. Enraged, he had reached out as he drew closer to try and grab onto them but his hands met empty air.

Greyback growled and backhanded him with his full werewolf strength. He hit the ground and drew his wand.

"What the bloody fuck was that about!?"

"You let them get away! We had Harry Potter! The money alone would have been worth it but the credit for turning him into the Dark Lord? We would have been set but you had to let them slip through your fingers. What do you reckon the Dark Lord would have to say about that, eh?"

"The same thing he would have to say to you, you barmy shite! We were both runnin for 'im. So we both let 'im get away." He pushed himself up, standing with his wand still trained on Greyback, "I say, we don't mention it and keep looking. We're both dead if He knows we had him and lost him. The only reason that bird Bellatrix is still alive is because shes been followin our Lord since the beginning and hasn't failed until now. You and I, Greyback, are expendable."

Greyback snorted, "You may be, but I am not."

"You're a bloody werewolf, mate. If you can't do your job, He has no problem finding someone else to do it."

They stared each other down before Greyback sneered and nodded his head. They searched the area for any clues to where they went. Greyback thought he could smell a Malfoy. His mouth twisted into a grotesque grin.

"You better hope we find them again, Scabior. If they have who I think they do, we'll be ranked even higher than that LeStrange bitch."

DMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDM

Harry, Ron, and Hermione hung onto the vial for dear life, the wind around them screaming. They had no idea how long the journey was as they had no clue where there portkey would drop them. They shut their eyes tight and prayed it would be over soon. None of them particularly liked this method of travel.

The wind around them stopped and they were dropped onto solid ground.

Taking a moment to catch their breaths and acknowledging just how close they had come to being captured, they laid on the ground in relative silence. Carefully, they all sat up and looked around, taking stock of injuries and making sure they were alright before looking around their surroundings.

"Blimey, its just like the memory." Ron expressed his disbelief. "I guess Malfoy was telling the truth. So far anyway."

"_Pertrificus Totalus! Levicorpus!"_ The spells caught them by surprise and they were lifted, frozen, into the air. They hung upside down with their heads at eye level.

Rons eyes caught Harrys in what would be an 'I told you this was a bad idea!' glare.

Tempy walked out from the trees, wand raised, inspecting them closely.

"I apologize for the hostile greeting but you must understand, one can't be too cautious. Even though I made that portkey to work only for you three, I'm not infallible. I'm going to free your heads so you may speak." Her voice was cold and calculating as she waved her wand to alter the spell.

Ron, always the hot head, recovered his voice first.

"I told you, Harry! I bloody told you no good would come from trusting Malfoy! This is probably his Deatheater whore and they're going to turn us in together! I-" He was cut off and yowled as a slap rang out. Tempys eyes were full of fury.

"How dare you! Draco may carry the mark but he is not a Deatheater! He was unwilling and has gone against that scaly bastard to help you! He has enough going on in his head to worry about without you adding more ignorant bullshite! You shut your mouth right now and listen to me or I will send you back so help me."

She and Ron locked glares before Hermione cleared her throat, gaining both their attention.

"Tempy, thats your name, yes?"

She pulled herself to stand tall and crossed her arms, "Kind of. My name is Tempest but I've always been called Tempy. I've yet to decide if that extends to the three of you. I had expected some anger with my greeting but not the outright filth Weasley has spewed."

"Alright, Tempest, then. When we activated the portkey, snatchers had seen us and almost caught us. We weren't sure where we would end up or if the portkey would even work if one of them had managed to grab onto us or if one had grabbed on and was here. We are still experiencing the adrenaline in our systems and its making Ron rather irritable on top of his unease at following this plan in the first place. Its no excuse for this language but at least try and see where he is coming from." She tried to explain calmly, trying to diffuse the situation.

Tempy held her glare but relaxed her stance.

"I did this to be sure you were who you said you were. The portkey should not have worked with anyone but you three but I could not guarantee it would hold up to polyjuice. For the record, had anyone grabbed onto you they would have been very painfully expelled and deposited in a random area between where you were and here. I cant guarantee they would have even known their name at that point." She cracked her neck before training her hardened eyes on them again. "I'm going to ask you three each a question for you to prove who you are. If you three are legitimate, I will release you and you will have my full apologies and we'll get you settled. IF you are, however, not legitimate and wish to cause either Draco or myself harm, I'll show you just what I've learned all these years with nothing to do but practice my magic." She smirked then, rather chilling on the face of the sweet girl they had seen in the memories.

The trio nodded their assent, Harry having remained silent until now, studying the situation. Tempy looked the same as the memories but her demeanor and personality seemed all too different. In the memory she seemed kind and sweet, treating Draco with careful affection and offering them help. This Tempy was cold and ruthless, emanating a dark aura. He was right, he thought to himself, she was a wild card.

Tempy turned to Hermione, "You're first, dear." She pointed her wand at her, "What did you say to Draco Malfoy as he lay in the hospital wing recovering from Potters curse in the bathroom?"

Hermione looked at her in disbelief. She hadn't even told the boys she had gone to see him. She looked over to them and saw disbelief in Rons face and confusion in Harrys before she returned her gaze to Tempys and responded.

"I told him that even though he had bullied me for six years, that I didn't believe he deserved to die. That I was sorry Harry had used the stupid spell without knowing what it did and that I hoped he recovered. I can't believe he heard me."

Tempy gave her a sharp nod and waved her wand. Hermione was gently lowered to the ground and released from her hold. "He heard you, disagreed with you but he heard you. It gave him a sliver of comfort to know you didn't wish him dead."

"Thank you." She mumbled as she rubbed her temples, the accumulated blood giving her a headache.

She was given another nod before Tempy turned to Ron and held him at her wand.

"Alright, hot-head, your turn. Tell me, when you were in the hospital wing after drinking the poisoned mead, you received a gift but it had no sender. You were suspicious so you didn't keep it. What was the gift and what did the card say?"

"Merlins sack..." He whispered. He had almost forgotten about that. Seemed so small a thing with all that had happened since. "It was a chocolate frog and it said, 'It wasn't supposed to be you.' I wasn't sure what it had meant because we were trying to figure out what was going on with Malfoy and Harry had his lessons. We told Dumbledore about it but he said it wasn't anything to fret about."

"It was from Draco. He hated himself a bit more after that. He didn't like you but he surely didn't want you dead, contrary to what you believe. I'm going to let you down now, will you behave?"

Ron nodded, still a bit stunned, and she lowered him down and released him with the same care she gave Hermione. Then she turned to Harry, who had still yet to speak.

"You've been quiet." She commented, he wand between his eyes.

"You care about him, don't you?" He asked, noticing the bracelet on her wrist faintly glow.

Her eyes softened and she smiled, "I do. I've known him longer than any of you and I know the real him. I hope that the three of you can come to know him as I do, a good man who was forced on the wrong path. Are you ready for your question, Harry?"

He inclined his head, "Whenever you are. Best be quick then, head is getting a bit woozy."

"Very well. When you were in the bathroom with Draco, before the fight broke out, he tried to tell you something before he attempted the Cruciatus. Tell me, what was it?"

"What? Nothing, we argued with our wands drawn and then we fought and I almost… wait..." He trailed off, remembering that night. It's true they had stood with wands drawn, he had accused him of being a Deatheater, of cursing Katie Bell and he had sneered and smarted off at him. As he rose his wand though, he could recall a split second, a moment lost to the chaos in the rest of the memory. The ice in his eyes had faded and in them were despair and before he could utter the incantation, he had whispered, pleaded, "He asked me to kill him..." Harry told her, horror in his voice.

Malfoy had wanted to die that night and Harry had almost done it. If Snape hadn't been there, Draco would've gotten his wish, his freedom. Was that why, that night on the tower and as they ran, he had took more notice of the boy? Taken more interest in his eyes and what he was truly feeling instead of condemning him? Why he was so willing to listen?

Tempy nodded her head sadly and lowered him down, releasing him. "Draco, in his words, was a coward and couldn't end his own life. He wanted to, he wanted to die more than anything. Personally, I don't think him a coward for not doing it but its hard to change someones mind of such convictions. That night, he knew you knew, knew you hated him enough. That maybe you hated him just enough to grant him his wish. A fight between you two in that moment was inevitable so he uttered that little prayer to you in hopes of being free. Of course, we all know what happened."

She bent down and offered him her hand and it took it. With a yank he was standing and she steadied him.

"I must offer you three my apologies. Though I felt it necessary, I know that was not pleasant. If you are all unharmed, we can head back to my home. Are there any injuries that need healed?" She asked, the cold persona dropping immediately back to the sweet girl they had first witnessed.

Baffled, tired, and over-whelmed, they shook their heads and at her insistence, followed her down a path through the forest.

"How long since any of you properly slept? You look like you've gone a few rounds." She asked them as they walked.

"We usually take turns keeping watch, sleeping short shifts. Last night we stayed awake all night watching the memories. We didn't break for sleep after that, we just packed up and came here. So, it's been a while." Harry responded, being the most awake of the three. The events of the day and their lack of sleep catching up to them.

"I told Draco that you guys would be exhausted. The psychological toll alone would be too much for just about anyone. I'm happy you accepted the portkey. It's safe here so you can relax a bit. My cabin isn't far. I'll make you all something to eat, you can shower, then have a nice rest."

"Oh, a shower sounds heavenly." Hermione groaned. They had been bathing quickly in cold rivers and streams when they could but they mostly used cleaning charms. Nothing replaced a good, hot shower though.

"Food! Real food!" Ron exclaimed happily, ignoring Hermiones pointed glare. They had survived on only what they could scavenge.

Harry grinned, "Sleep with both eyes closed would be nice."

Tempy laughed, "So I'm forgiven then?"

Harry pushed her playfully, "Yeah, I get why you did it even if I didn't like it." He looked behind him, "Oi, Ron, you owe her a huge apology, mate."

Ron frowned then grimaced, "Oh, right… uh..."

Tempy turned to him, "I don't care what I am called, Ronald Weasley, but do not insult Draco in that manner again. I realize asking you to get along is like asking a cat and dog to play nice and I accept that but I will not allow slanderous remarks from anyone, including Draco. Am I clear?" Her eyes flashed briefly to the cold look they held earlier.

Ron nodded quickly, "Yes, yes I'll behave. I can't promise I won't fight him or nothin, but I won't say that stuff again or try and provoke him. You scare me too much to try anyway."

She smiled, allowing a soft laugh, "Oh, Ron, who would be afraid of little ol' me?"

"Anyone who knew better." He mumbled, making her laugh more.

Hermione watched the scene with interest. "Tempy, you have a lovely island. Where is it located if I may ask?"

"My friends, we are in the middle of the English Channel. Gave Draco quite a shock when I told him that. Like I told him, my father found it and set up the wards. Hes gone now and it's been just me here. Nice to have some company for a change." She explained as they reached the walkway to the cabin,

"Bloody hell, the damn Channel. Even if it was hidden you could probably barely find it."

"Ron, I wish you wouldn't swear." Hermione sighed, "But he's right, its definitely hard to find. Thank you for allowing us to come."

"It's no problem. Draco wanted to help and I wanted to help him help you."

"Where is he, by the way?" Harry asked, addressing the blondes absence for the first time since their arrival as they climbed the porch steps.

"He wasn't feeling well last night." She answered, biting her lip worriedly. "After we copied all the memories to send to you he had terrible nightmares all night. Barely recognized me when I went to wake him. Was in a terrible mood all yesterday and I sent him to bed with a Dreamless Sleep Potion. He's been having a time of it trying to making sense of everything and I fear we unintentionally dragged up a lot of repressed emotions and such when we copied everything. The kind of emotional abuse and repression he was under for most of his life is exhausting to undo. He'll probably a bit wonky for a few days but we've gotten him through a bit of the bad already, I'm confident he'll come through this as well."

Before anyone could respond a terrified yell broke through the morning air. Tempys eyes grew wide as she threw open the door and raced up the steps to the upper floor.

Their earlier exhaustion forgotten and flooded with new adrenaline, the trio ran after her, unsure of what to expect.

"You can't fool me! Get away!" They heard a familiar voice full of fear and rage. When they reached the doorway they saw Tempy with her hands up in surrender, a serene look on her face, with Malfoy holding her at wand point. She noticed them and shook her head, telling them not to interfere.

"Draco, you didn't take the Dreamless Sleep Potion, did you?" She questioned.

"What potion?" He asked, his eyes darting around. She pointed to his bedside table where a full vial sat, untouched. "I don't remember being given a potion."

"You were beyond tired last night but didn't want to have nightmares so you tired to force yourself to stay awake. I gave it to you to help you sleep. I guess you fought the sleep a little too long, love."

He sneered, "Don't call me that! I don't know you!"

"Oh my, bit worse than I thought. Draco, calm down and remember. You escaped the Manor, you made it here to my island. I'm Tempy." she tried to sooth him, dropping her hands low.

"Tempy… no, you're not her. Shes dead! I held her in my arms as she died! The Dark Lord killed her. Why are you tormenting me like this!? Why do you look like her!?" He closed the distance between them and jabbed his wand in her neck.

She threw up a ward over the doorway to keep the concerned trio out but still able to hear everything.

"Draco, love, you had a nightmare. I'm alive. I'm here. Remember we were trying to help Harry and his friends? We went through your memories and it messed with your head. You're safe, I'm safe, we're safe."

Tears streaked down his face as his hand shook, "Prove it, if it was a dream and you're really her, prove it."

She raised her eyebrow at him but smiled. _"I guess this is what they call Karma."_

He startled at her voice in his head. His eyes focused on her left hand as it slowly rose.

"Take my hand, I give it to you, now you own me, all I am" Her bracelet lit up.

Draco slowly matched her movement, his eyes following his bracelet as it began to glow in response to its partner. He dropped his wand from her throat, brought his eyes back to hers and sighed in relief.

"You said you would never leave me, I believe you, I believe." He fell to his knees and she went with him, holding him as he apologized, thanking every deity that he knew that she was alive and asking her what the hell Karma had to do with anything. She laughed and started to explain what had happened at the clearing.

The trio stood outside watching the exchange. None of them knew what to make of what was happening. When the two had raised their hands and their bracelets started to glow Ron sucked in a gasp and stepped back against the wall.

"Ron!? What is it?" Hermione asked, looking him over fearfully.

"Harry, Hermione..." Ron whispered. "They're soul bonded." His voice had an almost reverent tone to it. Neither Harry nor Hermione had heard the term before but it sounded similar to soul mates. When asked, Ron made a face.

"Well, kind of." Before he could elaborate Draco and Tempy walked into the hall, Dracos face was impassive, unsure of how to receive the group while Tempy just rolled her eyes.

"Ron is about right, but the term soulmates is over used. Soul-bounded have a murky origin but I'll be happy to tell you what I know of it. Ron, seems like you know a bit about it already." She took Dracos arm and led the others back down the stairs.

"Mum and dad used to tell us stories about them. I never thought they were real. When I saw the gold flash in the memory, it reminded me of the stories but I couldn't remember what they were until I saw what happened back there."

"I'd love to exchange stories with you! Draco told me all he knew and I'd like to see how it differs. First, however, I believe I offered everyone food, showers, and rest. Sit down and I'll have something made up." She shooed them towards the other side of the kitchen as they entered and she went to the stove to fire it up.

Draco and the trio sat down at the table, awkwardness setting in. Draco was fully aware that they had seen his break down on top of all the memories he had sent. To actually have them sitting at the table with him, looking at him, unnerved him. He realized he still had the stoic Malfoy mask firmly in place. Old habits die hard, he supposed. He sighed, putting his head in his hands as he leaned on the table.

"Potter, Granger, Weasley, I believe I owe the three of you a massive apology." He said as he sat back up and looked to them.

Harry smirked, "Yeah, I believe you've done that already. What happened to calling us by our first names? Taking steps backward are we?"

Draco tilted his head, causing Tempy to snort when she caught it in her peripheral, and tried to figure out if he was being serious or teasing him.

Harry rolled his eyes and stuck out his hand, "You have been an utter prat for all of six years, _Draco_, but I think I can understand at least a little now. You reached out wanting to help us and make amends, right the wrongs. I can't say we could forget everything, but if you're willing to apologize allow me to apologize as well. I nearly killed you that night in the bathroom. It was a spell I had never used, didn't have a clue what it did and I used it on you. I am so sorry, Draco."

His hand hung there while Draco stared at it in amazement. Harry was forgiving him and asking him for forgiveness as well. If anyone had told him previous that this would happen he would have hexed them and sent them off to be evaluated. He thought back to when he had offered his hand to Harry in first year and couldn't blame the boy for refusing him. He was his fathers son then. Now though, they were their own people.

He looked back up at Harry and gave him his signature smirk. "I deserved it, Harry. I was a bit of a tosser."

He grinned in response, "A bit, yeah."

Dracos smirk fell as he turned to Hermione and Ron. Just because Harry would forgive him didn't mean these two would.

Hermione spoke first after sharing a look with Ron. "I won't lie, Malfoy. You made my life hell the whole time we were at school. I almost didn't come back at times because I didn't know if I could deal with your abuse." He hung his head, he knew he wouldn't be able to get forgiveness from all of them. Hell, he felt lucky to have Harrys at least. He felt a small hand on his and he looked back up, surprised. She smiled wearily, "I'm not saying I can forget everything either, but maybe we can work towards moving on. Start new?" He put his other hand over hers and gripped it tight.

"Thank you." His voice was heavy and he couldn't say much else as he released her hand.

"You're welcome, Draco." She leaned back and prodded Ron, who had been watching Malfoy since they sat down.

Draco matched his gaze and inclined his head, "Weasley."

"Malfoy."

The others watched their staring competition with trepidation. They knew Ron would be the hardest to deal with. His dislike for Malfoy had been imprinted into him practically since birth. Their family had a blood feud between each other. Malfoy had spent the years tearing into him about his family and all they lacked, calling them blood-traitors and filth. The hate they had learned for each other wasn't something that could be so easily washed away.

Finally, it seemed like Ron had come to a decision. He reached out a hand, without breaking eye contact, "I guess we'll see, eh, Draco?"

Draco kept the eye contact as he reached out and took the other mans hand, "I guess we will, Ron."

Everyone watching let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding. It wasn't forgiveness as much as a chance to prove things would be different. Ron, in his own way, had acknowledged that Draco was making an attempt and was willing to see what would happen. Draco had acknowledged that he was up for the challenge. It was as good an outcome as they could hope for. At least no hexes were thrown.

"Alright, everyone, now that the serious stuff is out of the way, lets eat. Eat as much as you like, I have plenty and I know you haven't been eating well." They didn't need further prompting. Draco had been eating better since his arrival so he didn't attack the food as soon as he was given the go but Harry, Hermione, and Ron dove right in. Hermione managed to keep some manners but still tore through the eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, toast and jam, and fruit that took up the table. Tea was poured and Tempy sat back with some toast and smiled.

She had prepared for much worse a reaction. Her wand had been ready the entire time she was getting breakfast sorted to cast out anyone who threatened them but it seemed her fears were for naught. They may not be friends, but the chasm that had stretched between them was passable now, mending with their willingness to work together and move on. It was a sight she thought many wouldn't believe but crazier things had happened. Draco had leaned back in his chair and was sipping his tea, listening to Harry talking about what had transpired during their journey through the pensive. She reached out and took his free hand.

She saw him smile as he pulled her hand up and kissed it, still paying attention to Harry talking animatedly. She watched as they all grew tired as the conversation wore on, their bellies full for the first time in months. She placed her cup on the table and stood, pulling Draco with her.

"Alright, I realize it not even noon but I believe it's time for everyone to get some sleep. You three have been awake at least a solid day and Draco, dear, I wont justify calling what you had restful sleep." After using her wand to set the dishes to wash and clearing away the rest of the mess, she motioned for them to follow her.

She led them up the stairs and stopped outside of a room next to the one Draco had been in. "I have one more guest room that has two beds. Did you three have a specific arrangement? I can always enlarge the beds if need be."

"You and Draco don't sleep together?" Hermione blurted out. She immediately realized what she asked and was mortified. "I am so sorry, that was so rude!"

Tempy was laughing brightly while Draco tried to hide his embarrassed blush. Harry and Ron found both his embarrassment and her mortification hilarious and joined Tempy in her laughter.

When they had caught their breath and calmed down, Tempy patted her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Don't feel bad, Hermione. It actually never occurred to me. When Draco arrived he was so badly injured my main focus was getting him keeping him alive. Then he found out about the whole soul-bond thing and needed time to adjust to that and it just never came up. I suppose however if hes not opposed we could so that the three of you could sleep in separate beds."

"We wouldn't want to impose! Honestly, it was my curiosity getting the better of me there's no need-"

"I'm not opposed."

All eyes turned to a very red Draco trying to keep a stoic face. Harry and Ron tried to smother their snorts of laughter, especially after Hermione had cuffed them both. Tempy only shook her head and chuckled. She summoned the few items he had in the room to her then sent them to her room and sent him off ahead of her. He did a short bow to the others and turned his heel towards her room.

Once he was on his way she set the boys up in the spare and changed the bedding for Hermione in the one Draco had vacated. She showed them each where there were toiletries and told them not to worry about the hot water. The spells she had would keep it hot so they could take all the time they wanted or they could just jump right into bed. She suspected they would all pass out asleep before long. The nutrient potion and mild sleeping draught she had slipped into their tea didn't hurt either. They thanked her and she bid them sweet dreams.

She entered her room to find Draco sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning his elbows on his knees nervously waiting for her. She shut the door and went and sat next to him.

"Are you ok?" She asked him, rubbing his shoulder.

He leaned over and took her into his arms and laid them back on the bed, holding her tight. She squeaked at the sudden action but otherwise didn't fight it.

"A bit overwhelmed. Today went much better then I could have hoped for." He nuzzled her hair, sorting through the events of the morning. "I hate that the first time they see me I was threatening you with my wand."

She wrapped her arms around him and returned his embrace, "It wasn't your fault. I should have made sure you'd taken the potion. Your head is going to be a little off kilter until everything settles back down in there."

"I thought I had lost you. It was so real. I've only just found out you were real, that my best friend was there for me when I needed her most, and then you were gone. I couldn't protect you." She felt a tear hit her cheek and she pulled out of his arms so shimmy up to his eye level. She kissed his lips lightly and wiped the tears away.

"It was a nightmare, love. A terrible one yes but I'm here. You're strong enough to protect me and you have people here willing to fight with you now. Not to mention I'm not some damsel in distress either. I'm fairly well off if I need to fight."

He closed his eyes and leaned in, kissing her just as softly, savoring the warmth of the smile on her lips.

"I didn't oppose because I didn't want to wake up without you and feel like I had lost you again… I… I needed to be close to you. Is that ok?" He explained, uncertain of her reaction.

"I would not have suggested it if it wasn't. Now, are we sleeping on top of the blankets or can we get into bed properly?"

"Whatever you want, sweet." He yawned, turning away as to not exhale in her face. She grinned and hugged him tight before jumping up and telling him to get in bed while she changed into her pyjamas.

When she returned he was only in his pyjama pants and curled up under the blankets. She laid beside him and pulled the blankets to her chest. As she settled in and closed the curtains she felt him roll over and tentatively wrap his arm around her waist.

"Is this ok?" She answered his whisper by twining her fingers with his and relaxing against him.

"Rest well, love."

She could feel his smile as he drifted off, "Rest well, sweet."


	7. Desperation

Well, we went to Universal and let me just say, it was well worth the 15+ hour drive. I was with both my son and my sister and she has informed me that going through The Wizarding World with us is akin to her babysitting two children as I was as off the wall in the place as my son. My apologies for the delay in posting, what with the trip and travel and getting things back to normal here. This is mostly going to be focused on the other characters in our little story but fear not, we will get back to the quintet in the next chapter. Now, on with the story, my darlings.

All Around Me Ch 7

Desperation

Bellatrix coughed and choked as blood filled her lungs. Her body flailed with the force of the _Crucio_ she had been under for what seemed like hours. She was certain she had broken something on top of the burst veins in her throat and lungs.

The Dark Lord was not pleased with her lack of progress in capturing her prey. What good is a dog if it can't properly hunt, after all? No, even as his top lieutenant she was still nothing in his eyes if she could not fulfill her orders. He looked down at her, trying to decide if he should just kill her and get it over with as her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

He ended the curse and watched as she struggled to breathe but could only gurgle on the blood seeping from her lips. He sneered and pointed his wand at her again.

"_Anapneo_."

With her airways cleared she sucked in a deep breath, her lungs screaming and her eyes dancing with black spots.

"If you can manage to keep yourself alive you will buy yourself more time to live. I would just kill you but unfortunately I have no one to replace you as of yet. If you do survive the night, do not return until you have found either of the brats unless summoned. If you do, I will make sure you dont survive the next time. Am I clear, Bellatrix Lestrange?"

He did not wait for her answer before he turned and left the room, the door slamming shut in their finality.

Bellatrix was sprawled out on the floor, fighting the pain and searching for her wand. The _Anapneo_ had cleared her airways but had not healed the wounds causing her to drown in her own blood. As she searched she could feel the blood in her throat threatening to do so again. Her fingers brushed the smooth walnut wood and she grabbed it quickly, trying to choke out the spells to clear the blood and repair the veins.

It took a few tries but she was finally able to clear away the blood and begin healing herself. She would need some healing potions to deal with the major damage but that wasn't an issue. After the first time her Lord had punished her, she kept a rather well stocked apothecary in her hip satchel. She refused to go to His pet traitor. She just knew that good-for-nothing Snape was a spy but she had been unable to convince her Lord of it and it was even harder now with his success in killing Dumbledore and her failure with killing then locating her nephew.

Sneering at the reminder, she rummaged through her satchel with trembling hands, trying to located the proper potions. Once found, she drank them down quickly and greedily despite their horrid taste. She threw the vials across the room, the clattering they made hurting her ears in their over sensitive state. As the pain lessened, she gradually pulled herself to her side, then to her knees, before attempting to stand.

She knew she would have to leave and quickly. If He returned and she was still there he would fulfill his promise and she would have failed him completely. The amount as it was was unacceptable to her but to die knowing she had failed and was unable to make up for it was a dishonor she was not about to share with her dearly departed husband.

Where to search next, though? The days had blurred together but she estimated it had been somewhere around two weeks since she had chased her nephew into the forest. They had searched all over, ran tracer spells and checked for any sign of a portkey and nothing. The tree had been just an ordinary winter dead tree.

She had ran across many groups of snatchers and interrogated them on if they had seen him, even _Crucio_-ed a few to make sure their lack of information was valid and they weren't trying to deny her her prize. When they still denied they knew anything she had lashed out in a frustrated rage. The Dark Lord had not been happy about that either.

She heard footsteps coming down the hall and knew her respite was over. She quickly grabbed her bag and wand and Disapparated, resolving to find her blood-traitor nephew no matter the cost.

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Severus Snape was reading teachers reports in his office. School was out for winter holidays but the students that had been forced to stay behind were still subject to the atrocious actions of the Carrow siblings. They were sure a large group of their favorite test dummies, as they put it, were hiding somewhere in the school and had enlisted the students that stayed behind to help find them. Some were loyal to the Dark Lord and searched in earnest. Most, however, knew a little but refused to give up the resistance. Fortunately, it seemed the siblings were not skilled Legilimens and the students kept their heads low, avoiding being cursed for suspected information.

Snape knew, of course, about Neville and his efforts to continue Dumbledores Army. The boy had been sent to him multiple times for extra punishment. He had done what he could to avoid hurting the boy and had risked telling him to walk with limps and act like he had been in excruciating pain. He had looked at him with suspicion the first time but had not said anything to anyone. He knew it confused him, what with him being Voldemorts right hand man and allowing the Carrows their sadistic pleasures, but after Dumbledore and learning what had happened with the Malfoys, we was weary and couldn't bring himself to hurt anyone unless he had to put on a show.

Draco. He sighed, setting the papers down and pinching the bridge of his nose as he thought about his Godson. He had done everything he could to protect him; the vow, convincing the Dark Lord he was still useful, strengthening his Occlumency shields, keeping him from the worst of the Deatheaters and the Carrows while here at school. He had feared for him when the holidays came but had hoped he would go unharmed.

His hopes had been shattered when the Dark Lord had called a meeting. Upon arrival, his mind had been assaulted by Voldemort, giving him almost no time to reinforce his shields. Thankfully, when He forcefully pulled from his mind he had not noticed the momentary panic and slip. Snape had watched, catching his breath and composure from the surprise attack, as he paced furiously around the room, noticing the absence of the Lestrange couple. He had stopped before turning and addressing him and the rest of the Deatheaters.

"Severus, your Godson has run away from us." His stomach tightened in knots at those words but forced the feeling down to neutrality.

"Draco, my Lord? Have Lucius or Narcissa any idea to his whereabouts?" He asked calmly.

The Dark Lord let out a menacing chuckle, "They won't be having any ideas about anything anymore. They've been released from my service and their son was supposed to follow. However, he ran like a coward. Too much of a worthless welp to face his punishments for his failures."

His heart ached but he needed to know, "Supposed to, my Lord?"

Those red eyes glared and Voldemort raised his wand and blew a chunk of wall out, his fury returning.

"Yes, Severus, supposed to. Bellatrix and Rodolphus chased him but once they had found him, they claim he faded away into nothing. They searched for hours and found no trace of him. Rodolphus has paid his punishment and will no longer fail me from inside Naginis stomach. Bellatrix was given the chance to fix her mistake, hence why she is not here. I called you here in hopes that the spineless brat had gone back to the school, hoping for sanctuary. I see that not to be the case."

Snape had to fight everything in him to remain passive to the information he was just given. Some of the lesser Deatheaters looked green and a couple had moved to the back, trying to hide their sick.

"No, My Lord, Draco has not come back to the school that, I am aware. If he does, I will be sure to bring him to you for his just punishment."

He walked up and grabbed Snapes face and locked his red eyes to his black.

"And how am I to know you won't betray me as well, Severus? Try and protect your precious Godson like his pathetic excuse for a mother did?"

"My Lord, my loyalty is to you and you alone. If my Godson was to be killed for his uselessness and cowardice then he shall die. And I will make sure to aid in that however you require."

Their eyes stayed locked before Voldemort smiled his terrifying smile, "Very good, Severus." He turned to his other Deatheaters, "This is what a loyal and obedient follower looks like! I expect you all to follow his example. We have two main targets now, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Secondary are the blood-traitor Ronald Weasley and mud-blood Hermione Granger. Search the whole damn country if you have to, I want them found and I want them all brought to me alive. Perhaps I will reward some of you with the pleasure of their torture or death at a later date. But for now, if they are dead or insane when you bring them to me, expect to join them." He growled, "HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?"

A chorus of "Yes, my Lord." rang out and he dismissed them back to their duties. Snape had returned to his office and ran to his quarters, barely reaching the toilet before he retched. He coughed and heaved until everything had been purged from his system.

After he had cleaned himself up he poured himself a large measure of Firewhiskey, knowing it would likely make him sick again but not caring. His mind processed all he had been told.

Lucius and Narcissa were dead. There was nothing he could do about that. His friendship with Lucius had ended long ago but he still felt grief for the man he had originally befriended, before he was completely twisted. Poor Narcissa, however. Her loss hit him in his gut. She had never wanted this. True she believed in the pure-blood ways but not to the point of genocide. She never wanted to follow the madman.

Draco, it seemed, may still be alive. He knew all sorts of magical travel, both common and obscure, but for the life of him he couldn't think of something that would make you fade into nothingness. Whatever it was had undoubtedly saved his life. But where had he gone? He could only hope, wherever it was, it was far away from this hell and he was safe.

His attention was brought back to the present by a hum in his magic. The wards around his house in Spinners End had been set off.

"No… Surely he wouldn't..." He immediately questioned if Draco would be stupid enough to go there but pushed the thought aside quickly. The magical signature was not his Godsons but was familiar. A few moments studying it revealed to him that the disgraced Bellatrix was raging through his house. With an exasperated snarl he quickly made his way to where he could apparate before the crazy bitch burned the whole place down.

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Bellatrix roared in anger as she tore through the rooms of Snapes house. Furniture was overturned and books torn from their places on the shelves. She had turned the place upside down, looking for anything that would give away a hiding place for either Draco or information on where he was hiding.

She began tearing books off the other shelf, hoping one was hiding information or a switch to a secret room. So focused in her fury she didn't hear Snape some up behind her.

"_Immobulus! Incarcerous!" _

The spells his her in her back and she fell to the floor, her face a mix of fury and surprise. Snape sneered down at her as he collected her wand. With a flick of his, he released the _Immobulus_.

"Now, what in the bleeding hell are you doing in my home, Bellatrix? Are you not supposed to be searching for your nephew and the Potter brat? I have a school to run and I don't need your stupidity calling me away from that."

She growled and spit at him, "I know you're helping him, you traitor!"

He casually raised an eyebrow at her outburst, "I'm helping a blood-traitor, am I? I'm a traitor, am I? Need I remind you, Bella dear, that I killed Dumbledore for the Dark Lord when my Godson was too weak to do it? That it was you that let him get away? Tell me again how he 'just vanished'. I must say, I've never heard of a spell or method to transport in such a manner. Perhaps it is you," he aimed his wand at her, "who is helping the blood-traitor? Hm? He is your nephew. The last connection to your dear sister."

He eyes were wild as she struggled to get out of the ropes, "They are FILTH! I cared not for my weak sister and even less for her useless sprog! I cast the damn curse to kill him! How DARE YOU accuse me of helping him!?" She shrieked.

He smirked, "You're not held in high regard right now, Bellatrix. I could suggest to the Dark Lord that you let familial sentiment cloud your judgment. I wonder how he would feel about that?"

"You Bastard! The Dark Lord would NEVER believe that! I am His MOST faithful. I would NEVER betray him!"

"You know, he may have believed that in the beginning but your inability to find a mere child, one who has no clue on how to take care of himself or hide himself I might add, may make him rethink. Maybe, he will believe that his most faithful is indeed his biggest betrayer."

She clenched her teeth and seethed. The nerve of the bat! Her Lord would never believe that! Not after everything she had done for him! He would curse the dirty spy the moment he brought it up!

A small voice in her head suggested otherwise. The voice gave validity to the scenario he painted and she didn't like the words it spoke to her. She had to reluctantly admit to herself that her status was under threat and her faith and loyalty could easily come into question at this point.

"I see you understand." His icy voice cut through her silence. "If you attempt to enter my home again I will go to the Dark Lord and you can take your chances with his mercy."

"Release me, then, you filthy half-blood." She ground out through her locked jaw.

"Tsk, tsk, Bella where are your manners?" He reached down and grabbed her quickly, disapparating them both.

He landed gracefully in the middle of a forest, allowing her to fall to the ground. With a muttered _Finite_, he released her, dropped her wand beside her, and disapparated back to Spinners End to clean up the mess.

She jumped to her feet, screaming at the top of her lungs, her disheveled state making her look even more insane.

"You bastard! One day, I'll prove you're a traitor and I will get such joy from watching the Dark Lord take his price from your flesh!" She vowed to the empty silence of the forest around her.

She had no clue where she was. Hungry, furious, and exhausted, she used a locator spell to get her bearings. Finding herself close to the Manor, she quickly left to a safer location. Once satisfied with the distance, she made camp and settled in for a rough night. Her dreams filled with the torture she would inflict on both her nephew and his traitorous Godfather.


	8. Tempys Secrets and the Seventh Horocrux

Thank you to all who have read so far. As I stated in the beginning, it has been some time since I have done fanfiction so it makes me happy to see people reading what I've written. Feel free to let me know how you think it's going or if you have any input as this is a work in progress. I have the bigger points pretty much down but I'm always open to constructive criticism and suggestion. I do ask that you don't be an ass and throw out hateful nonsense though I accept that it comes with the territory. Can't make everyone happy now, can I? Also, some NSFW content in this chapter. We're not going all the way but that bond is pushing for completion. If you need music for that bit, I was listening to "Adrenalize" by In This Moment. Now that that bit of business is out of the way, back to our unusual quintet, my loves.

All Around Me Ch. 8

Tempys Secrets and The Seventh Horocrux

Harry woke to the afternoon sun filtering through the curtains and warm blankets wrapped around his battered and sore body. He sighed and settled into the cozy bed, the most relaxed and comfortable than he had felt in months.

He immediately shot up off the bed, grabbing for his wand off the nightstand and checked his surroundings. They weren't in the tent. He felt panic bubble in his chest as he turned to find Ron asleep just as sound as he would be at The Burrow. Trying to get a hold of his frantic breathing, he walked himself through his memories of the last day or so, mentally checking off that things were alright.

With a shaky sigh he lowered his wand and wiped the sweat from his face. They were alright, last night had happened, they were at Tempys home. They were safe.

Figuring he wouldn't get back to sleep and it was already late afternoon by the looks of it, he pulled on the dressing gown Tempy had left for him. He pocketed his wand, remnants of paranoia from being on the run still in his veins, and made his way down the stairs. When he found his way into the kitchen, Tempy was sitting at the table, a pot of tea and two cups set out. She sipped from one as she motioned for him to join her.

"Morning, Tempy." He greeted her, his voice raspy with sleep.

She gave him a subtle nod, "Good afternoon rather, dear."

He grinned, "Yeah, I would say I can't believe we slept so long but we haven't really been keeping to a normal sleep schedule."

"Well, the mild sleeping potion I put in the tea helped I'm sure."

His eyes flew to hers as his hand instinctively settled on his wand, "You what?"

She eyed him lazily, not feeling threatened in the slightest. "Oh, hush, you. The three of you were wound so tight it would have taken ages for any of you to fall asleep and actually sleep. I just mixed a very mild and small dose along with a nutrient potion into the tea to help the recovery process. I apologize if it offends you that I did not ask but the three of you were way worse off than I thought. Honestly, I'm not the bad guy, Harry."

He felt his body start to release its tension and he put his hand back up on the table, feeling a slight chastised.

"Ok… I get it but if you're wanting to continue to do that, let us know. You've already helped us a lot but sneaking them wont go over well."

"I already planned on speaking to each of you about a potion regiment. I'm no healer but I know my potions." She took another sip of her tea. "If it makes you feel any better I did the same to Draco. His mind still needs time to sort out the confusion. I'd rather not have to talk him down twice in one day. I'm a big girl, I can take a curse but his psyche probably couldn't take knowing he cursed me in his confusion."

"He still asleep then?"

"Yes, he woke when I did and, after making sure he knew who I was and that I was ok, I made him stay in bed. I swear, if you or the others are as stubborn as he is I'm going to lose my bloody mind." She sighed dramatically and threw her head back in mock exasperation.

Harry let out a hearty laugh at her antics, "Well, you obviously don't mind adding a few more nutters to your mental menagerie."

She chuckled, "Not really, no."

Harry fixed himself a cup of tea and they sat in silence, enjoying to warmth of the fortifying liquid.

"Harry."

"Hm?"

She stared at him for a few moments before she looked back down to her tea.

"There are things about me, my family, that I can't discuss right now. Things even Draco doesn't know about yet. I want to earn your trust but I know thats difficult when someone keeps secrets. I know people have kept information from you before, information that could have affected the outcome of numerous situations you have found yourself in in the past. It is my hope that Draco and I can enlighten you to some facts that were grievously kept from you. I don't know if the information in my family tree will have consequences in the here and now but I can't help but think they might."

Harry leaned over his cup and stared hard at her, trying to judge her body language and tone.

"Why can't you tell me then?"

She looked up at him, her eyes watery. "I promised my dad. I know that may not seem like a good enough reason but he swore me to secrecy unless it came down to life or death; no other choice."

Harry nodded in understanding, "It's not a bad reason but you're right, I really dont like secrets. So many things in those memories Draco sent me would have changed past events. If Dumbledore had just trusted me, I could have done things differently." He turned his gaze to his own tea, contemplating her situation. "Is there anything you can tell me?"

She thought a bit before answering him. "I can tell you some things but I can't give you names. I just hope what I can tell you gives you enough reason to trust me if or when I have to expose everything." He indicated for her to continue. "My family line is Ancient and thought to have died out but we are the descendants of a cast out woman thought to be nearly a squib. She was nothing but a weak blood traitor to my maternal many times over great-grandfather. She fell in love with a pure-blood that sympathized with muggles. From what I have read in her diaries, he was a good man. They had one daughter who inherited her magical ability, or 'lack there of."

She stood up and walked over to the counter and grabbed a handful of seeds from a container on the window sill and returned to her seat.

"What do you know of elemental magic, Harry?" She asked.

His face scrunched up in thought, "Not much other than I assume they have to do with the elements. This is more of a Hermione thing. Maybe Ron, he was the one who knew about the blood magic on the parchment."

She smiled, "I knew he had more in him than he is given credit for. You're kind of right, that type of magic is based off of the four elements. Most witches and wizards can tap into it a little in the basics of some spells or show a natural affinity for said type of spells. However, in some bloodlines, it is more than just an affinity. It is a natural and sometimes instinctual control over that element."

She held out her hand to him and he lifted his. Her palm opened, dropping the seeds into his. "My ancestors were near squibs in any other magical sense, however they held one of these innate abilities." Her hands gained a faint green glow as her voice trailed off, the seeds in his taking on the same glow.

"My mother inherited it as well, also considered nearly a squib, and she passed it on to me."

Harry felt a surge of magic in his palm, warm like sunlight on your skin on a summers day, and watched amazed as the seeds sprouted and bloomed into full plants, simple herbs by the looks of it. He tore his gaze from the new vegetation grown in his hand to her anxious face.

"You… you can control it that well?"

She slowly nodded, "Not just plants. If its connected to the earth I have some degree of control. The more something bleeds into another element the less control I have. I can't control a stream but I can bend the rocks and banks to change its course so to speak. Or say molten rock such as a volcanoes magma. I have not tested that really, no volcanoes around here to really experiment, but theoretically I could control it a little but it shares its nature with fire. From what I can put together from the diaries left behind, if I were to pair with someone with another elemental line, we could combine the controls. Say a water and air line meet and can create ice or storms or, like I mentioned before, a fire and earth could fully control the molten rock. There was a mention in one diary that stated fire and air would create lightning. Personally I think theres more possibilities or even if you could combine more people but thats neither here or nor there."

"How would you know if you had an affinity?" He was still a bit awestruck but suddenly much more interested in the topic.

"Most are taught they have it by their parents from what I understand. I learned through my mums diaries and so on. You could always try to control one and see that way. Theres ways to test for it. Your family line is Ancient as well so you possibly could. I would think air from what I have heard of your flying capability. The elemental lines manifestations are considered rare these days because most of the Ancient houses have either died out or the magic hasn't been compatible with the pairings that have been made. Inter-marriage among pure-bloods have stunted the growth and continuance of such gifts. I'd bet money that if Weasley had one it would be fire and I'm fairly positive Draco has one for air as well. Both their lines are not as polluted by intermarrying, despite the Black blood in their veins. Hermione is muggle-born so who knows. Depends on if her magic was spontaneous or if she was descended from a squib I would imagine."

"Does Draco know about this?"

Her expression changed from thoughtful to a slight grimace, "Well, he knows my family has a lot of hedge witches. I haven't gone too far in detail yet."

"Why tell me?"

"I needed you to know that you could trust me, even if I can't tell you everything. We don't share a bond like Draco and I do. You don't get the benefit of being able to see, hear, and feel inside my head. Our interactions are and will be based solely on mutual trust and hopefully friendship. I already planned on telling the others what I can as I have told you. Figured if any of you had one I could help you learn about it so you would have another edge in this war. I wanted you to know because its something I can safely tell you to show you that I am not trying to hide or keep secrets that I don't have to keep."

She reached out her hand and took the herbs from him and went to place them back on the counter.

Harry watched as she leaned against the counter, faced away from him. She had said her piece and it was up to him now. He stood up and walked over to the counter and gently grabbed her shoulder to turn her to face him.

"I don't like secrets." He started, her eyes down cast. "We owe you and Draco a lot for what you've given us and told us. If whatever it is that you're holding back can help us I would like to know. But I understand, I'll respect your silence for now. I just ask that if its coming to a point where it becomes an issue, you tell me as soon as you can. Please?"

She looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

"If it looks like it needs to be said, I'll tell you. I just beg that you trust me when that happens."

He nodded and stuck his hand out to her. She took and they shook, coming to an understanding.

A loud thump and muffled yell of 'Harry!' from upstairs broke their bubble and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Sounds like Ron rolled out of bed. Literally."

She laughed, "Go see to him. Hermione should be waking soon as well. I'll go check on Draco. Everyone wash up and get properly dressed and I'll come down and make dinner. We can eat before any serious talk. Theres a few other things to discuss other than what I've told you already and I know theres one thing Draco hasn't told you yet that you're anxious to ask about."

The reminder of the seventh Horocrux snapped his focus back. He hadn't forgotten, per ce, but it hadn't been in the forefront of his mind. He went to ask about it but he had barely opened his mouth before he was cut off.

"No, I will not be telling you. Draco is the one who was told and who must tell you and he will after everyone is washed and fed." Her tone had him shrinking away as if Molly had scolded him. Her face softened, "I know you want to know and you will, Harry. I'm just trying to take care of you guys and help you recover from months of malnutrition and exhaustion. I promise, it will be fine to wait a couple more hours."

"Right, sorry I just… seven? Six was insane but had Draco not reached out we would have thought we were done when we found the six. We would have lost if we had tried to kill him."

"I know, Harry. I'm sorry. Now, try to push it out for now and we'll get some food." She gave him a light shove and headed for the stairs. He shook his head and smiled. For how tentative this all started out, he was already considering her a friend.

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Draco sat on the bed waiting for Tempy to come back. She had wanted him to stay in bed but he had been restless and unable to fall back asleep. He had went down to join her but heard her talking to Harry. Curious, he hung back to listen, not sure if he should intrude or not.

It had hurt him a bit to hear her telling him something she hadn't even shared with him yet. He heard her explain that she intended to explain to them all so that there were as few secrets as possible but it still stung a little.

Tempy found him sitting there and knew instantly something was wrong. She sat beside him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You never went back to sleep, did you?" She asked.

He shook his head, "No."

She sighed and pulled him to her, his body stiff, "Am I correct in assuming you overheard my conversation with Harry?"

"What gives you that idea?" He scoffed, his hurt giving way annoyance.

"Draco, I'm sorry if you're feeling hurt and I don't blame you if you do but I didn't keep it from you for any set reason. I told you my mum and our family were full of hedge witches just not the whole explanation."

"Yet, Saint Potter gets the full one? What the hell sense does that make, Tempy?" He growled, pulling out of her arms and standing to pace the room.

"It wasn't exactly planned that way! Yes, I had wanted to talk to him, I want to earn his trust and when he asked what I could tell him I figured I was going to be going over it with everyone anyway so I told him. I did not deliberately tell him to not tell you."

"We've been together for weeks now, Tempy and you never told me."

"Oh, when was I going to sneak that long speech in, eh? Between making sure I kept your bloody arse alive when you first dropped in and trying to get you to understand the facts of our bond? Or after your head took a scramble from copying all those memories? Or when they first got here? That would have made for an interesting first meeting!"

"Yes! Let's blame me for everything!" He yelled.

"IT'S NOT ABOUT BLAME, DRACO!" She roared, standing to get face to face with him.

He sneered and she glared, the air around them crackling with magic. The room grew hot as their auras clashed.

There was a frantic knocking on the door.

"Tempy! Draco? What's going on!?" Harry yelled through the door.

"Oh look! Potter to the rescue." He whispered, his voice edged.

"We're fine, Harry! Get the others taken care of we will be down soon." She answered, her glare still on Draco.

"I'm not against you, Draco. I am for you. I know you're still sorting out your head but remember who I am. What you are to me. I would never do anything to hurt you, to trick you, to betray you. Get your anger out if you must, but do not make me out to be a villain."

The room exploded in fiery streams of magic as he lunged forward and kissed her roughly, grabbing her arms tight and pushing her up against the door that Harry was still trying to open. Her magic responded in kind, throwing up wards around the room while the house plants she had throughout erupted into sudden growth spurts. She growled into the kiss and pushed back to free her arms. His hands found their way to her hair and her hip, clutching her tight, as her arms found their way around his neck. He stepped back and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist, and he slammed her back against the door.

The heat intensified as his magic enveloped her, claiming her. His mouth trailed rough kisses and bites down her jaw and throat to her pulse point where he bit down hard and sucked. She cried out and rolled her hips against his arousal, causing him to hiss and pull back, his earlier sneer replaced by a primal look of possessiveness and longing. Her magic reached out and caressed him, encouraging him.

His lips returned to hers, frantic and needy, and she returned it in equal ferocity. He rutted against her, causing friction in just the right spot. She gripped his hair as he swallowed her moans and cries. Their magic sang and sparked as its tendrils intertwined. His hands roamed her body and she felt flames licking her skin, hot but not burning, driving her closer to bursting.

Her stomach twisted tight as he became more insistent and erratic. She could feel as he started to loose control, his body approaching its own completion. She kissed him harder, nipping his lip in the process, and moved with him. The taste of blood and the frantic movements was all that was needed. Their magic exploded around them as they broke, riding wave after wave of pleasure and magic. The room around them was bordering unbearably hot and vines had begun to work their way through small gaps in the houses log walls.

As they both came down, Tempy looked into Dracos eyes and recognized the signs of impending guilt and panic.

"What have I… Oh, Merlin, Tempy…." He caught the sight of the bruise he left on her neck and he stepped back so quickly she almost fell. "I hurt you.."

She reached out and grabbed him, pulling him back to her before he could retreat.

"No, no you didn't. It's ok."

"I was angry. I don't know where it all came from. I was hurt you didn't tell me but not that angry, I don't know where..." She cut him off with a quick kiss.

"Draco, your head is a mess right now. Emotions you shut off for years and had to bury are resurfacing. You're allowed to feel that."

He squeezed her tight, the both of them leaning against the battered door.

"It gives me no right to do what I did. I don't even know how I did most of that.. I've never felt my magic do that before."

"If that had been all out of anger we would be having a different discussion right now. However, I'm pretty certain it wasn't." She tried to soothe him, running her hands through his hair.

He looked down at her, confused, "What do you mean?"

"The bond, love. You were hurt I told someone else, someone until very recently you had to see as an enemy, something about myself that you didn't know. Our bond isn't complete yet and won't be until we consummate it. It felt threatened, add in the storm already in your head, and the magic felt like it needed to make its claim known."

"I still don't think that was acceptable. I pushed you against the wall for bloody sake. I grabbed you, I bit you."

She waved him off, "It's part of the claiming. The bond responds to the most primal parts of ourselves. Did I fight you? Did I call for help? Trust me, if I had wanted to, I could have fought you off. I didn't want to." She pointed to the purple mark on her neck, "This is you claiming me as yours and had we kept going don't doubt I wouldn't have done the same. You are mine and I am yours. Until your head had settled and we complete the bond, there will be occasional reassurances of our bond. And for the record, that was brilliant."

"Brilliant? And thats what this was? Assurance?" He asked, a hint of disbellief in his tone.

"Yes." She nodded factually. "Now that bit with the fire, no that was something different. I must admit, I thought you would be air."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes, "I'll explain downstairs. I was going to wait until after supper to go over this bit but I'm fairly certain theres a confused and worried Harry just outside our door so explanations will come sooner rather than later. You may want to _Scurgify _us real quick."

He blushed, noticing for the first time the cold spot in his pants, but nodded and quickly cast the charm as she stepped them back from the door. She dropped the wards she had thrown up, allowing the door to burst open under the pressure of three bodies.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione fell to the floor in a pile. They groaned as they looked up to Tempy looking at them in amusement.

"Nice to see I have endeared myself to you three enough for you to come to my aid if needed."

Harry jumped to his feet and looked them both over, holding back the knee jerk reaction to pull his wand on Draco.

"Are you both ok? You two were yelling, then the house filled with some crazy magic. Tempy, your house is covered in vines now and we thought the place was going to burn for a bit. There were flames but nothing was burning, it was bloody insane."

She nodded, "Yeah, I'll call back the vines, sorry about that. As for the flames, turns out I was wrong about Draco being air. He's fire."

Harry nodded in slow comprehension but Hermione and Ron, who had finally pulled themselves back up, stared in confusion.

"Fire? Whats she on about?" Ron asked, eyeing them warily.

Harry glanced at Tempy, not wanting to spill her secrets. She smiled at him and shrugged.

"I'll explain over dinner. Come on you lot."

As she went by Ron, he noticed the bruise on her neck and the faint fingertip marks on her arms. In a rage, he lunged at Draco and brought him down to the floor. He pulled his fist back to punch him but found it and his body bound by the vines that had grown impossibly longer in just seconds. He looked up to see Tempy, a very cold and unfriendly expression on her face.

"Ronald, I said I would explain downstairs." Her voice was flat as she waved her arm, the vines obeying and pulling him off and away from Draco. Another set reached down and helped Draco stand back up.

"There is no excuse to hurt a woman." He said, the vines still holding him tight, causing Draco to look down in shame.

"Pish posh, Ron. If you can hit a man for it, you can hit a woman for it. You really shouldn't hit anyone, mind you, but if a woman attacks you, you fight back. Are you going to tell me that if Bellatrix attacks you and the only way you're getting away from her is to hit her that you wouldn't? Please. Theres a time and place and besides, he didn't hurt me. Cool that head of yours and I will explain what all of that was. Circe, Merlin, and Morganna I need tea." She groaned as she released and called back the vines and walked out of the room.

Hermione went to check on Ron and Harry walked over to Draco. He clapped his hand on his shoulder.

"You alright, mate?" He asked.

Draco eyed him before nodding, "Heads still a bit funny but I think so."

"Good. Still not sure what all happened but lets go down and help with supper, eh? We'll get it figured out."

Draco pulled himself up straight and motioned for Harry to lead the way, leaving a concerned Hermione and Ron to follow them.

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The next hour was tense as Tempy and Draco worked on dinner while Harry acted as a buffer between them and Ron and Hermione. When everyone sat down, Hermione broke the silence.

"Tempy, could you please fill Ron and I in on what Harry already seems to know?" Her tone was short, a bit miffed that they were in the dark as well as concerned about what happened upstairs.

Tempy finished serving simple meal of chicken, potatoes, and vegetables before sitting down and fixing her with a stern look.

"I would appreciate less of that tone. We were originally going to have this discussion after we ate but with what just happened I realize that you all want a proper answer sooner. The tone, frankly, is unnecessary and unwelcome."

Hermione bit her tongue but her face looked like she ate a lemon.

"Harry already knows a little of what that was all about only because I had wanted to have a private conversation with him, which Draco ended up hearing. Draco, prior to that, hadn't been told so you weren't the only ones, just so you know." She stirred some sugar into her tea. "With all the secrets that were kept from Harry, I wanted him to know there were some things I couldn't tell him but not to be malicious or to hide things from him. I simply can't reveal some things due to family oaths. He asked me to tell him what I could so I did. I explained a power I have that he, Ron, and Draco might have due to their bloodlines being as Ancient as my own. I also told him I didn't know if you could or not because I don't know where your magic comes from, family line descended from a squib or spontaneous appearance."

She paused and took a bite of her dinner, silently encouraging the others to do so as well. When they figured she wouldn't continue until they were eating, they followed suit. Once she was satisfied that they would eat, she sipped her tea and continued.

"Hermione, Ron, do either of you know what elemental magic is?" She asked.

They shared a look between them before Hermione answered first.

"It's using the four elements to perform spells and incantations. Some are more skilled in certain spells than others."

"Close but not totally correct. Witches and wizards tap into these elements to use the spells and yes some do have more of an affinity for some but not the whole answer I'm looking for. Ron?" She turned to him, his expression calculating, like he was trying to figure out a board of chess.

"You said an ability because of your bloodline, yeah?" She nodded in the affirmative and he rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Bloody hell, mum said those were just stories."

Hermione turned to him, somewhat annoyed that again he knew something she didn't and probably due to her being muggle-born. The lack of information was so unfair!

"Well, Ron? What were just stories?" She asked, her annoyance plain to hear. Tempy pinned her with another sharp glance before telling Ron to continue.

"Well," he started, a bit uncomfortable, "mum used to tell us stories of witches and wizards who could control an element. Conjure flames and water wandless and wordlessly, pick up the winds and move the earth. She always said they didn't exist though, that they were just stories to entertain us."

"There's the rest of the answer. Elemental witches and wizards do exist. They are bloodline dependent. It is not a skill in which one can learn and master. They are much more rare these days because of the genetic narrowing of pure-bloods killing of the magic as they intermarry as well as the Ancient bloodlines dying out. This type of magic needs room to grow and a compatible witch or wizard to manifest in."

"So there's no way a muggle-born like me could have such a power, then?" Hermione was not happy at what she felt was yet another injustice against her blood.

"Did you not hear me earlier, Hermione?" She snapped. "I didn't say no because I do not know your bloodline. And even if you couldn't have one, its not a slight against you or your blood. Not every magical person can do it, it is strictly in family lines just like some creature inheritances and family magics. Magic does not discriminate, some things just are what they are."

Hermione hung her head and wouldn't meet her eyes. She realized she had been unfair and petulant. She was just so tired of being so left out.

"I'm sorry, Tempy." she whispered, pushing her food around with her fork.

Seeing this, Tempy sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I know our world is unjust in its practices towards you're blood type, Hermione, but I am only trying to give you information that you can use. I had wanted to try and see if any of you presented any tells of having an elemental ability. I had thought Draco would be air but turns out, his is fire, hence all the flames around the house. Mine is earth if you had not figured that out yet. If you wanted to try I would not have objected."

She was silent as she watched her start to eat again, internally sighing in relief. The girl was so malnourished she would have felt terrible if she didnt finish her food.

She lifted her head and sat straight, confident. "I would like to try."

Tempy grinned at the classic Gryffindor behavior.

"Very well, then. After dinner I can test the three of you. Draco is already confirmed fire, Ron I wanna say you will be fire too and Harry air but I was wrong about Draco so who knows. Once confirmed I can help you learn to master it."

Hermione smiled, feeling somewhat better, and dug back into her meal, suddenly hungry again.

Ron cleared his throat, getting Tempys attention again.

"What about the bruises, Tempy? None of that explains how you got those. Just the magic we felt and saw." He nervously looked towards Draco, unsure whether to be angry with the boy or feel bad for him. Draco looked a cross between ashamed and angry with himself while Tempy looked unbothered.

"You already know about soul bonds but do you know what happens when they are incomplete?" She asked.

"Mum never really talked about it that far. Again, she just told us stories but had said they at least existed."

"Yes, well, when bonds aren't completed the bond-mates can feel very insecure in the bond, like someone else could come and steal them away even if the bond itself pretty much prevents that. It's primal and needs a soothing reassurance until its whole. When Draco heard me tell Harry something I hadn't even explained to him yet, he was hurt. His head is still settling and the bond felt threatened so he and his magic reacted. I noticed the signs pretty quickly so I didn't fight it really. Challenged him a bit and told him off yeah but I didn't fight him."

"But he hurt you!" Ron half questioned, half accused.

"Mate, I don't know all that much about bonds, but I don't think he hurt her anymore than she wanted." Harry muttered, a blush creeping across his face causing Draco beside him to cover his face and his own blush.

"How does that make any sense?" Ron asked.

Tempy laughed, "You need to have sex to complete the bond, Ron. To reassure it, you merely need to be a little intimate. In our case, we were both a tad rough. I would bet if you looked, Dracos back and scalp probably have my own claw marks. In fact, I do believe his lip is a bit split."

"Oh Gods." Ron coughed and his head from ears to neck turned bright red in embarrassment.

Tempys laughter grew in volume and slowly the rest of the table joined until even Ron was laughing.

"Well, I'd say you misjudged that situation a bit, eh Ron?" Harry gasped out between laughs.

"Yeah, well, why did you take it so calmly, you didn't know about the whole bond reassurance thing either."

Harry shrugged, his frame still shaking from his laughs. "Tempy is a scary witch, mate. I don't doubt that if he had truly intended to hurt her that she would've hesitated in kicking his arse."

Draco nodded in agreement, "She could, too. Wand or no wand shes not one to mess with." He smiled at her and reached out his hand. He was still not proud of his behavior but she was right. Plus the thought of having her against the door again threatened to bring the blush back.

_"I can assure you, I would not mind a repeat of that."_ Her voice whispered in his mind as she smiled and took his hand.

He smirked and kissed it lightly before turning back to the others and join the new topic of conversation.

When dinner was finished, they helped her clean up before moving out to the living area. Tea was poured and tailored to each others tastes before Tempy asked each person to hold out their wands.

"There are a few ways to test to see if you have an element. Even if you don't have one you can still have an affinity and be more proficient in spells based on an element. Everyone ready?"

With a few exchanged glances and nods of encouragement, she continued. "Right, then. If noting happens we can try again later. With how drained all of you are I don't know that we would be able to call anything forth but its worth a shot. First, I need you all to hold out your wands and close your eyes. Then, you're going to relax and clear your mind as much as possible. What you're trying to do is focus on your magical core. You've used it all this time and probably never properly reached out to it, never gotten to know the feel of its embrace. We feel our magic when we use it so we know it enough to know when something feels off but we don't know it as extensively as we should. When you connect to your magic in this way, your instincts, responses, and over all your magic become stronger, more fluid. Spell work comes more naturally because theres no lack of connection. This will make eventual wandless and wordless magic much easier to learn."

After her explanation, the four situated around her set out to clear their minds and find their cores. Even though Draco had already manifested, she wanted him to purposefully connect to his core in order to properly feel the connection.

The minutes dragged on and after 20 minutes she began to wonder who would quit first. She knew if could take many times on a healthy core to do this but had faith that at least one of them would manifest tonight. The impossible seemed to be possible with the Golden Trio.

To her joy, Draco manifested first. A long serpent like dragon of fire erupted from his wand and coiled around him. He opened his eyes and she motioned for him to stay silent. He nodded in amazement as he stared into the face of his dragon. As they interacted, a noise behind her caught her attention.

Surprisingly it was Hermione that manifested next. Her wand shot a river of water, spectral otters swimming and playing as it circled around her. Her eyes flew open as she openly wept tears of joy. She looked at Tempy and smiled so brightly. She smiled back and nodded, again motioning for silence.

Beside her, Rons wand produced a fiery tornado, a phoenix flying in its gale. His eyes were round and wide at the strength of the magic and he looked to her in gratitude. She gave him encouragement, shushing him as she turned to Harry.

His brow was furrowed and his face covered in sweat. She frowned at the odd sight. It wasn't easy to connect to the core in the way she was having them do so but he looked to be having more trouble than she thought he should. She approached him, as the others withdrew their magic.

"Harry?" She asked. When there was no response she grew worried.

"Tempy? Whats happening?" Draco asked.

"I don't know. He should be able to..." She stopped herself and her eyes grew in horror. "Draco.. I didn't think about the… with him."

His eyes were confused until her meaning became clear. Shite.

"Can you help him?" He asked.

"Whats going on!?" Hermione asked, Ron holding her. Her earlier tears of joy had turned to fear and concern.

They looked at her then back to each other.

"I can try something but you can not allow our bond to flair up, Draco. Our bond is secure, do not let it feel threatened, do you understand? I need you to keep Ron and Hermione calm. Can you do that?"

He swallowed thickly, already not liking the feeling he was getting, but knowing that it needed done, he nodded and pulled the other two back to the sofa to try and calm them down.

With that done, she straddled Harrys lap and laid her forehead against his and slowed her breathing. She forced his eyelids open and used a spell to keep them that way.

"_Legilimens!"_

_She found herself in Harrys mindscape and was horrified at what she found. There were black tendrils reaching out from deep within. She recognized the stink of dark magic and followed pulses of what she recognized as Harrys magic that were coming down the lines of the dark._

_She followed it deep down to where his core should be and found Harry with his arms strung up holding him in place beside his core. He was screaming at something she couldn't see. She rushed towards him and knelt before him before throwing her arms around him._

_"Harry! Fight it! You can't let it touch your core!" She screamed, hoping he heard her. "I'm here. I'm here, Harry! Let me help you!"_

_She opened her magic to him and flooded him with it, and together they pushed their combined magic into the darkness binding him, sending them shrinking back to where they grew from. As they watched them retreat, she knew the darkness was still there, knew what its source was, and hoped that they would be able to remove it. She turned to Harry, who looked back at her with questions. _

_"It attacked me as soon as I got here. Somehow I just knew I couldn't let it touch my core. It felt familiar, like I've dealt with it before."_

_She frowned at him, knowing she couldn't tell him as she had no real answers other than what exactly it was where as Draco hqd the full story._

_"We can explain everything when we get out of here, Harry. For now, its safe to reach your core. Do you want to continue?"_

_He looked at her unsure before looking back to his core._

_"I can trust you, right?" He asked, not taking his eyes off his core._

_"Yes." She answered simply._

_He gave a quick sharp nod before stepping forward and reaching out for his core._

Draco and the others were watching the two unmoving figures in front of them when Tempy was thrown across the room as Harrys magic manifested around him in powerful gusts. She slammed against the wall and landed with a thud.

"Tempest!" Draco screamed and ran to her, kneeling down and pulling her into his arms. He frantically searched the bond as she lay unconscious, checking her breathing and pulse. When he found them to be steady and that she was just knocked out, he turned his attention back to Harry. He was standing in complete awe at the large snowy owl lazily beating its powerful wings in front of him. He had tears in his eyes as he reached out for it.

"Hedwig..." He whispered and the owl bowed its head, allowing him to pet it before the magic returned to him. Pushing aside his shock, he wiped his eyes and saw Draco holding Tempy.

"What happened?" He asked as he rushed over, kneeling down to check on her.

Draco felt heat rise up in him. He wanted to lash out at the one perceived to have hurt his bond-mate but he stamped it down. It wasn't Harrys fault. He knew that but the feeling was hard to fight.

He grit his teeth, "Whatever happened in there, she was thrown back and hit the wall."

Harry didn't miss the tone in his voice and thought Dracos bond was putting a strain on him. He put up his palms in surrender, "I'm sorry, mate, I don't know why that happened. I promise I wouldn't have hurt her."

Draco shook his head, "I know, Harry. Believe me, I know but the instinct to protect her is so hard to ignore right now."

"Yeah, well, you can relax now, Draco. I'm awake."

The two men looked down at the groaning woman as she tried to sit up. Draco was reluctant to let her go.

"Draco, I'm fine. I need to get up now so we can sort this mess out."

He sighed and he helped her stand up. She wanted to roll her eyes but knew he was just worried for her so she kept her composure and walked to the trio eyeing her with concern and curiosity.

"Well, I'm surprised but pleased to see everyone was able to not only make contact with their cores but have an element in their bloodline. Congratulations to all of you. My dad had said it was more rare these days for all the reasons I gave along with the fact it wasn't taught anymore. I wonder how many people have it but just don't know it?" She pondered.

The three grinned and let out excited laughs. Harry sobered quickly and asked about what had happened to him. Draco and Tempy shared a look and silent conversation before Draco stepped back while she stepped forward.

"Harry, you didn't seem to have a problem getting to your core but the problem was something else wanted to as well and tried to keep you from getting to it. If it had, we probably wouldn't have been able to bring you back. You said it felt familiar?"

Everyone sat down as she explained, eyes wide and bodies tense. They had almost lost Harry?

Harry locked his gaze with her, "Yes, and the more I think about it, the more it feels like the Dark Lord. He possessed me once, in fifth year. He had been slipping into my mind all year, when he was angry or when he was doing something terrible. Thats how we ended up in the Department of Mysteries, he sent me a vision. He was torturing Sirius and I fell for it. He wasn't there and only showed up because I was there. He died because of me." He let out a shuddering breath as he composed himself. "When the Dark Lord came there was a battle and in the end he possessed me. I was able to push him out. Is that what this is?" he asked.

Tempy looked up at Draco and reached to give his hand a squeeze.

Draco leaned forward in his seat and wrung his hands together. "Harry, the Dark Lord didn't leave anything behind that night nor do I believe he is using the link to invade your mind again. Last I had heard about it, Severus said the Dark Lord had written it off as useless since he could not see what you were doing and you would likely not trust a vision from him again so easily."

He paused and stared into his former rivals eyes. The emerald green orbs were tired, haunted by things no one, let alone no one their age, should have seen or done. In them he saw a need for answers, a plea for no more secrets. An end.

"Harry, I promise you, no matter what, we will find a way to fix this. Don't let this become a death sentence because I bloody well will not. We will fix this and we will bring Him down."

Those tired eyes slowly filled with recognition and sorrow as the weight of the words seemed to confirm a suspicion Harry had had for some time now. Draco gave a slight nod before speaking again.

"You're the seventh Horocrux, Harry."


	9. Coming to Terms with Mistrust

OK, doves, school is about to be back in session here so updates will eventually reach a once a week update. We've been trying to prepare for things so that's why I haven't updated in over a week. I will try and get as many out before school starts without compromising the story. Honestly, I had wanted to finish this completely before I posted but I got trigger happy. My sincerest apologies for this. Now, my freaky darlings, on with the story.

All Around Me Ch. 9

Coming to Terms with Mistrust

Harry sat lost in his thoughts as around him a screaming match was in full swing. He could vaguely make out Ron adamantly denying the fact that he was a Horocrux and that Snape couldn't be trusted as Draco defended his Godfathers information. Hermione was yelling at Ron to calm down as Tempy was trying to reign Draco in. One day of sleep wasn't enough to dispel past grudges, after all.

Draco had explained to them that Snape had shown him with Legilimency a memory of Dumbledore revealing his fate. The old man had known what he was, had told Snape that he had to keep it from him until it was time for him to die and oh, that it had to be Voldemort who killed him. Draco said it had torn his Godfather up inside, having protected him for all his school career to the best of his abilities, while maintaining his mask of disdain, only to learn it was only so the boy could die at the right time. Even with their mutual dislike he didn't wish the boy dead. Dumbledore had assured him that everything was alright and that it was for the greater good, but Snape could see no good in setting a child up to die.

The revelation had caused Harry to go into a mini state of shock as he processed the perceived betrayal of the Headmaster and what the information meant, while it had caused Ron to explode in accusatory anger. Draco had tried to remain calm at first but was soon on his feet and shouting as loud as Ron was shouting at him.

In his heart, he knew it was true. In fact, he had suspected it for some time. All those nights learning about them with Dumbledore, the fact that he could feel the magic in them, recognize it even, the connection with Voldemort, the parseltongue, and looking back on the facts of the night his parents died… the suspicion had been strong. He had stubbornly pushed the thought away though, trying to concentrate on the mission and not think about his impending death. He was the only one who could stop Voldemort. That's what the prophecy said so he had to live to do that, right? He couldn't be one. At least, that's what he would tell himself whenever the thoughts otherwise would creep back into his mind.

Unlike Ron, he trusted the information. He wasn't the dour potions professors biggest fan, far from it, but the memories seemed genuine to him and when he looked at everything objectively, as bad as it was, it all made sense. If he trusted the memories, then he had to trust what Draco had told him. He figured he should be right pissed, raging and destroying something but he just felt oddly resigned.

It was at this point he heard Rons newest accusation.

"Even if we could trust the bloody traitor, he never said in the memory that Harry was the seventh Horocrux! All we have to go on is what you're telling us now! You could have made it up!"

"Why the bloody FUCK would I make this up, Weasley!?"

He looked up to see them about to come to blows, the girls trying to calm them down as the room started to heat up.

"Ron, he's telling the truth."

His voice was barely a whisper to his ears but caused the room to fall silent. The four turned to him with mixed expressions of disbelief, sadness, and uncertainty.

He swallowed the lump n his throat, "I've suspected it for quite a while. I just didn't want to acknowledge it. I mean, who wants to accept that they have to die? It's ok, though. If it means He dies and we win then, it's ok."

Draco, emotions still running high, stormed across the short distance and lifted him up by his collar, bringing his face to his.

"So, you're gonna give up, Potter? Is that it?" He growled, sneering at the defeated look on Harrys face. "You are, aren't you!? Come on, you pathetic sod! Where's the famous Potter rage, hm? Did all the fight leave you? Just going to roll over and let the Dark Lord slaughter you now, Potter!?"

A flare of their old animosity sprang up and he glared back at him, gripping the blonds thin wrists tight enough to bruise as resignation was rapidly replaced with anger.

"No, you pompous git! I'm going to kill the snake-faced bastard! Can't a bloke be upset by the fact that he has to die to do so?"

"No!" He yelled and threw him back down to the couch before pacing back and forth. "You stupid self-sacrificing Gryffindor! Did you not hear what I said!? I promised you that this would not be your death sentence. We would find a way for you to live."

"The only way to get rid of a Horocrux is to destroy the container, Malfoy! Don't make a promise you can't keep!" He screamed back, jumping to his feet.

He spun on his heel and got his face close to Harrys again, "The only way that you know of, Potter. A Malfoy is many things, many things my father squandered and did not live up to. I am not my father but I am still a Malfoy. Malfoys do no break their word. I give you my word, if it kills me, we will find a way to get that cursed thing out of you."

He pulled away and looked up to the ceiling, letting his eyes fall closed, his breath heavy.

"If anyone deserves to make it out of this bloody war alive, Harry, it's you." His voice dropped to a softer tone, tired and broken.

Harry stared at the boy he had thought he had known for years, his anger fading. When he had watched all those memories he realized he hadn't really known him, just the character he had to play. Coming here, he had vowed to try and move past it all, to give Draco a chance to redeem himself. Here he was, trying to do just that. He didn't want to get his hopes up, hope that a life waited for him once the war was over. Dracos promise, he really wanted to believe it, but he had believed Sirius as well. Now, he was dead, leaving behind another broken promise in his wake. Would this be another in a long line of false hopes? He sighed inwardly, heart heavy and mind weary. If he was going to die anyway, what would it hurt to try?

"Draco."

The blonde lowered his gaze and met his.

"We need to be able to trust each other but so many promises have been made to me that have blown up in my face." He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, his voice determined. "I don't want to die. If I have to I will, but I don't want to. If we can work together and find another way, believe me, I'm all for it. Call me a self-sacrificing Gryffindor all you want, but I will do everything I can do to take Him down. You want me to live? Teach me the Slytherin ways of self-preservation."

He grinned and they stared at one another for a moment before Draco smirked.

"Gladly."

A cough brought their attention away from each other and they both had to stifle their laughter at the sight that met them.

Tempy had an unimpressed brow raised with Ron and Hermione, glaring at them, wrapped up in vines.

"If you two are done with the pity party and righteous indignation that seems to be forever present in your Merlin be damned relationship, we have much to discuss and you can calm these two down."

A snort escaped Draco and Harry tried to speak clearly.

"Why are they strung up, Tempy?" He failed to hold back a chuckle.

"Because as soon as Draco moved towards you, breaking all kinds of Slytherin rules of self-preservation I'm sure, they pulled their wands. All of you may be willing to try and move forward but its obvious that old habits die pretty fucking hard."

Draco gulped, recognizing just how irritated she actually was.

"Tempy, nothings going to be sunshine and rainbows in one day, not with the past we all have with each other."

"I'm quite aware of that." She snapped before closing her eyes and composing herself. "My apologies. It's late, my head hurts from being tossed across a room, don't apologize Harry," Harry stopped with his mouth agape, apology on his lips, "and the bond is agitated at the hostility shown Dracos way. I need some tea and some rest. As do you all."

She motioned for the vines to lower and release Ron and Hermione as she walked into the kitchen, muttering about tea and Circe giving her strength.

Ron jumped to his feet, spluttering and red as his hair while Hermione scowled and brushed herself off.

"Well that was unpleasant." she muttered.

"Bloody mental is what that was!" Ron exclaimed, rubbing his wrists where the vines had caught him.

"I told you she was a scary witch, mate." Harry shrugged.

"You're telling me! Was that really because of the bleedin' bond?"

Draco gave him a curt nod, still a bit on edge with the redhead.

"She's already warned you about threatening either of us, Ron. I understand your reaction, even if I am displeased with it, but understand hers as well. I had to do everything I could to keep from lashing out at Harry when she was thrown off him earlier but I could justify that he hadn't meant to harm her. You were a clear and present danger to me, no matter what you thought I was going to do. Be glad she didn't just boot you from the island because I have no doubt somehow she could."

"Draco, don't be an arse, I wouldn't just boot them off. I would warn them first." Tempy reappeared with a new kettle of steeping tea and a tray of various potions.

"Everyone, sit." She requested in a tone sounding more like an order as she took her seat.

Hermione and Ron shared a look before following Harry and Dracos lead of sitting.

Tempy rolled her shoulders before sighing and resting her head in her hands.

"We need to learn to trust each other. We can't keep having bouts of 'Stupid Gryffindor' and 'Slimy Slytherin'. I realize this will be hard, your past wounds run deep. But we need to try better. I don't like the person I turn into when I feel me or mine are threatened. I don't want to have to keep restraining people when we need to work together. Can you four please promise me to try harder to curb your typical reactions to each other and think before you pull out your wands? I want to help all of you in any way I can but I'm the outsider here, I am not used to having to navigate through all the animosity."

There were glances cast around as each person mulled over her words.

Draco moved over to sit next to her and pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry, sweet." He murmured, barely heard by the others.

She curled into his hold, "Me, too."

Harry looked to his friends, who were still a bit tense after their brief binding, "Guys, I know its hard but she's right. We won't get anywhere if we can't keep a cool head. I know, pot meet kettle, but I don't want to make the same mistakes as I did before. It's going to take all of us to figure this out. We have to try."

With a resigned groan, Ron nodded, "I don't like this whole situation and I still don't know about you being a Horocrux, mate. Its gonna be a right pain in the arse to build that much trust but what the hell, what else have we got to lose?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "Really, Ron, language."

Tempy shook her head but smiled.

"Theres something else I wish to speak to you all about." When she saw she had all their attention she continued. "I want all of you on a potion regiment to combat the malnutrition you are all suffering and to help you sleep properly. So long on the run, your bodies have adapted to sleeping light and alert, not allowing your body to rest fully and repair itself. It's not like Dreamless Sleep and you wont suffer any nasty side effects unless you are allergic to a certain ingredient in which case let me know now so I can make adjustments. Draco has been on it and I can assure you I wouldn't give you something I didn't feel safe giving him."

"I take it thats whats on the tray then?" Harry asked, pointing.

She nodded, "Yes. I would just mix a dose of each into your tea. I've been able to alter them to blend enough into the tea to temper the taste. Otherwise, old fashioned spoon full and taste. Your choice. The sleeping potion will give you about 30 minutes before you were to fall asleep, its only a mild one, so you could take it and have that time to finish preparing for bed or what have you."

"I'm alright with that. Ron? Hermione?"

They eyed the potions in question with skepticism, still uneasy after the nights events.

Tempy rolled her eyes and stood up, grabbing two vials and handing them to Hermione.

"Merlin, so much for trying to trust. Here, smell them, look close at them, hell, ask me for the ingredients. Whatever you need to do to feel comfortable taking it. It's not like you've eaten any food I've prepared or drank any beverages I've offered you."

"Tempest."

She turned back to Draco, who fixed her with a 'quit it' stare. Shrugging unrepentantly she resumed her focus on the distrustful duo, "All I'm saying is it's a little late to wonder if I'm going to poison you."

Hermione stared into her hands at the vials. She had a point, if she had wanted to poison them she could have many times over by now. Before she could say anything, Tempy had grabbed the vials and uncorked them. She picked up a tea spoon and in quick succession poured a dose of one, took it, then repeated with the second vial. Setting them back down on the table she turned to leave the room, stopping at the doorway, three pairs of stunned eyes and one in understanding exasperation on her.

"We still have a lot to talk about, things to plan for, but once we told you about Harry, it's like all the grudges and suspicion came back to the forefront. We're all on edge and can't possibly talk with this air of mistrust." she paused, collecting her thoughts. "I was taught to trust myself and only myself. Draco was the exception because of our bond. That trust extended to you because of how he spoke of you and I know in your hearts you are good and want to end this war. I want to trust all of you. If I wasn't willing I would never have invited you here." She sighed and leaned against the door frame, her back still to them.

"The dose is a teaspoon of each. Stir into the tea well if you wish to take it. You can still add sugar and milk to your liking. Hopefully after we have all rested, we can speak more civilly."

With that, she pushed away from the frame and left them to their thoughts.

The trio turned their attention to Draco whos eyes had not yet left where Tempy had stood. He knew her colder personality was a defensive response, much like his, to the situation but also knew that she was hurting. She had spent years alone since her fathers passing with only occasional images of him as a glimpse into the outside world. More than wanting to be able to trust each other, he knew she hoped to be able to be friends. It had only taken part of a day for the easy camaraderie of their first few waking hours to break down.

With a deep sigh he turned and addressed them.

"I know she seems cold and angry but shes more hurt than anything. She just wants to help."

"We appreciate it, really we do, but perhaps shes right. We're all just too on edge after everything. It's not just tonight or our pasts. The three of us have been on the run for so long now, always on guard and waiting for an attack. It's just a lot to deal with." Hermione explained, a bit shook by Tempys bold attempt to prove she wasn't poisoning them.

"I feel a bit like a berk." Ron stated, reaching to measure out a dose of the potions to mix in his tea.

"As you should." Draco muttered. He received a glare in return but Ron bit back the retort and continued making his tea, offering the vials to Hermione who just stared at him.

"What?"

She scoffed, "That's it? You feel like a berk and go about making tea? Using the potions you were dubious about not a moment ago?"

"Well, yeah. She just wants to help, doesn't she? I even said what do we have to lose but I still acted like a berk. So, I'm going to drink the potion tea, even if it tastes like a bloody flobberworm, and hopefully get some good sleep so that maybe tomorrow, I can try better." He turned to Draco, "Sorry she was hurt, Draco, but I agree with her. We're just too knackered and too paranoid for anything else to go right tonight."

Draco dipped his head in acknowledgment before catching Harrys eye.

Harry just shrugged, "It's been a long night. Things got too real very quickly. For what its worth, she saved my arse. If for no other reason than that, she has my trust. I owe her at least that." He reached out and took the vials from Ron and measured out his dose before holding them back to Hermione. "Take it, you need it as badly as we do."

She hesitated slightly before nodding and taking them to measure out her own dose and handing the vials to Draco. He took his as Tempy did, by spoonful, grimacing as he stood.

"I definitely prefer that in tea. I trust the three of you can find your way to your beds on your own?" When he was met with nods from all three he gave a half bow, "Then I'll be off. I need to be with Tempy. Enjoy your tea and please clean up the cups."

"Night, mate." Harry waved as he went to sip his tea.

"Goodnight, Draco." Hermione said softly as Ron gave a faint wave as he disappeared through the doorway. They sat in silence as they finished their tea and reflected on the nights events and how things could have gone better. A shared thought was at least no hexes or curses had been fired.

DMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDM

Draco entered their room to find Tempy already asleep, still in her day clothes and on top of the blankets. He sighed, knowing the potion should have left her more time which only spoke to how exhausted and upset she had been.

Carefully, he lifted her into a sitting position and got her arms free from her jacket, tossing it towards her laundry bin. He laid her back down, thankful he didn't have to navigate trying to take off a bra without taking her tank top off as she hadn't donned one today. She had remained barefoot as well so he just had her skirt left. Feeling his cheeks flush pink, he gently lifted her hips and removed it, tossing it to join her jacket, before maneuvering her under the covers and tucking her in. Giving her forehead a kiss, he went to the bathroom to finish up his nightly routine.

With his nightlys finished and changed into a pair of black pyjama bottoms, he slid into bed next to her and pulled her close to him, keeping his arm around her middle. He nuzzled her neck, kissing it lightly and wishing her sweet dreams, he followed her into sleep.


	10. Memories and Potions

All Around Me Ch. 10

Memories and Potions

_Tempy sat on the cliffs edge, her short legs kicking out to meet the oceans spray as the waves beat upon the cliff face. Wisps of her dark hair caught in the wind and flew past her eyes as she watched the sea, waiting. _

_Her father was preparing to leave again. He didn't leave their island often but lately he had been leaving more frequently. She had never been concerned about being left alone before but lately a feeling of dread had settled in her stomach and had refused to leave. Each time he left, the feeling grew heavier and darker. _

_What was worse, he wasn't even telling her what he was leaving for. They hadn't had to do food runs in years once they established the garden with a flock of chickens and a milking cow. Their island, though small, provided for them. Everything else they had magic for or he would make small runs for supplies. She never knew when he would be back and often woke after he had returned so not even then could she see what he had brought home. Now, he was leaving again._

_"Tempy." She heard him call to her but in her anger she ignored him. She could make out his footfalls as he neared her perch._

_"Tempy." He said her name again, standing behind her. She continued to pretend he wasn't there._

_A sad and deep sigh joined the sound of the waves._

_"I'm leaving, Tempy. I'm sorry I can't tell you where or why. I'm trying to keep you safe, just remember that, ok?"_

_She said nothing._

_"I love you, Tempest. Please don't forget that." His voice was followed by the crack of apparition. _

_She turned to the spot he had stood, tears streaming down her face. The dread in her stomach spread to her entire being and she immediately regretted ignoring him. She got to her feet quickly and ran inside to her room and fell on the bed, praying and hoping he would be home soon. She needed to apologize and tell him she loved him too, that she was only angry because though he wanted to keep her safe, she wanted him to be safe as well._

_When the moon had climbed high in the sky she had gone to sit outside, the soft sounds of the woods and the sea creating a peaceful landscape hiding her tumultuous thoughts. She had been waiting in her room since the morning, waiting for her fathers return. This time she had refused to fall asleep, she had to be awake to greet her father. She had to apologize. _

_The fragile peace was broken by a low rumble in the air. She looked around frantically, drawing her wand. She knew with the wards, no one but her or her father should be able to be here but he had still instilled in her to be ready at all times. Her elemental magic was still being trained so her vines couldn't do much now but she kept the familiar tingle of it in her mind, just in case._

_Other than the rumbling she couldn't see anything wrong. No intruder, no attack, no sign of her father. She was stumped as she looked for any reason for the ominous sound. _

_A flash of red in her peripheral had her looking up toward the sky above the cliffs. To her horror, the section of the ward over the cliff had a huge red spider-veined crack in it. She forgot caution and ran towards it. As she got closer, she realized the crack was just above where her father had earlier apparated. A weakened spot in the ward. _

_Shutting out her terror, she quickly went over what her father had taught her about up-keeping the wards. Though they used his blood for their creation, hers could repair and strengthen them since she was his descendant. She had never done it before but she knew in her gut that if she didn't try the wards would fall. The cracks were reaching out farther._

_Quickly casting a mild cutting hex, she whimpered as her blood easily pooled in her hand. She held it out and let it drip freely on the cliff edge, chanting the ward spell in Latin, desperately hoping she had the right words and was giving enough blood. After a few minutes she ended the spell and sealed the wound, her head woozy and feet unsteady. _

_Falling to the ground, her tired frown transformed into a huge grin as she watched the cracks heal themselves, their angry red magic fading. Her earlier dread was momentarily forgotten as she basked in her accomplishment, knowing her father would be proud of her. She made a note to ask him why the wards had cracked in the first place._

_She was stunned out of her revelry by a fiery burst in front of her. She threw up her arms to protect herself but lowered them when nothing else happened. Confusion over took her when she found a scroll floating in front of her with a key attached. Her name was written on it in a familiar script. Shakily, she reached out and took it, setting the key in her lap as she untied the ribbon and opened the scroll._

_My Dearest Tempy,_

_If you are reading this, then the spells in the wards have activated for you to add your own blood to them to make them yours. I am so sorry I never explained this before, I thought I would have more time. I wanted you to enjoy as much of your childhood as possible without worrying about more dangers than you are already aware of. You're just almost 15 now, I just wanted to keep it away for a bit longer. The reason the spells activated is… because I am no longer living. I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I'm sorry I didn't have more time with you. _

_I know you've been angry with me, wondering where I've been going these past few months. I've been gathering intelligence, supplies, research, anything I can get my hands on. Things are happening and I know you'll be part of it. I've been doing all I can to make sure you're prepared and protected when the time comes but it seems as if I've finally been caught._

_The Dark Lord has returned, Tempest. The Tri-Wizard Tournament was a set up. Most of our world doesn't believe it and the Potter lad is being called a liar but my sources tell me it's true. Knowing what I know besides, I didn't need anyone to confirm it. The Potter lad isn't known for lying and I know the old bastard has been raising him up to know his role in this war. Potter wouldn't say this if it wasn't true. If you ever come across him, trust him. He may be a Gryffindor, but he is good. It hurts my Slytherin pride to say that but I can't dispute the goodness in his heart. _

_The key attached to this scroll is to the shed I've told you to keep away from all these years. Hiding these things in hindsight may have been a mistake but I can't correct the past, I can only prepare you for the future. In the shed are books and diaries, more than what I've given you already, and all the information and research I've gathered. There's two tomes on our family trees, your mothers especially. I need you to read these and the note I placed in it. These will explain your part in the war that's coming now that the madman is back._

_Also in the shed you will find enough supplies and gear to last you and a few others for up to a year, according to my last calculations, shrank down to fit. _

_I know you haven't been to your clearing in a long while but I implore you to check it daily from now on. Your bonded, Draco was his name, yes? I've heard whispers of his family and I feel like his arrival will come, probably as the war dips into its darkest days. Be there for him, but swear to me, even if I am not there, to not revel to him or anyone else what you find in the family tree tome. Not unless it becomes imperative to share the information. It can and will make you a target if it becomes known. Swear to me, my darling._

_You will end up leaving this island and fulfilling your destiny and I am so scared for you but I know you are strong. You are so strong and I know you will rise above this. You were always my little Hufflepuff. Dedicated, braver than you know, and unafraid to work through any challenge thrown your way. I know you'll get through this. I'm just so gutted that you have to do this without me. I pray to Merlin that Draco comes to you soon. _

_No matter what happens, my sweet Tempy, remember to be happy and be kind. Don't let the trials you are about to face kill the light that shines so bright in you. I love you so so much and though I wished I had more time, I am so grateful that I had what time I did. Your mother and I will always love you and will always be with you._

_Good luck and please stay safe,_

_Your loving Father_

_Tempy clutched the letter tight as she read the words over again, willing them to not be true. As they settled in her heart, she let out an agonized scream, her magic flaring around her in a mournful display. She screamed and cried, laying on the ground, until her voice was hoarse and the sky began to lighten with the approaching dawn. _

_She never got to apologize to her father, never got to tell him she loved him one last time. The guilt of her last actions towards him tore at her heart as she fell into unconsciousness, mumbling in a harsh whisper,_

_"I'm sorry, daddy. I love you… please come back…"_

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Draco was pulled from his sleep by a stirring in his arms. The sun was beginning to rise, the light purple sky still calm and comforting in its serenity. He looked down to his bond-mate and noticed her face wet with tears and she was mumbling in her distressed sleep.

"Daddy, please come home."

He frowned and gave her a light shake. She didn't talk about her father much unless he was included in some explanation or another and she referred to him typically as father or dad.

"Tempy?"

A pained whine was all the reply he got as she continued to mumble.

"Daddy, I'm sorry!'

Another more firm shake, "Tempy."

"I promise, I'll keep the secret. Please just come home!"

He pulled her into his arms as she grew more distressed and wiped the tears away, trying to break her out of her nightmare.

"Tempy! Sweet, wake up! It's a nightmare, wake up!" His voice was loud and firm, enough to break through whatever hold her mind had on her.

Her eyes flew open and fresh tears poured from the green pools depths. She latched onto him and sobbed. He held her tight and rubbed her back in soothing circles, telling her it was ok and he was there.

They sat like this for a while before she sniffled and whispered to him.

"My dad never came home and I never got to apologize."

He hugged her tighter to him, knowing at least a bit of that pain having recently lost both of his parents.

"Why would you have had to apologize to him? Do you know what happened to him?" He asked, stroking her hair.

"He tried to talk to me before he left but I was angry with him so I ignored him. He just wanted to keep me safe, for me to know he loved me and I never told him back, Draco. What if he died thinking I hated him?" Her voice caught and she buried her face deeper in his neck.

"Shhh now, sweet. I'm sure he knew."

"I just wish I could have told him..." She hiccuped and paused. "I never knew where he went so I'm not sure what happened to him. I just know when it happened the wards almost fell and I had to reestablish them. When I did, a scroll showed up explaining that he was dead and at least what he had been doing. He knew the war was coming and had been gathering information and research to aid our side. It's all here. I was going to have all of us look through it, I've looked through some but it may make more sense now. He also gathered up supplies for when I would need to leave the island. He knew, I don't know how he knew so much but he did, that I would have to leave, knew you would end up here. Hell, he probably knew the others would too."

"He wanted you to be prepared. I'm sorry you lost him, Tempy." Draco didn't have many words to say, somewhat awkwardly trying to think of words to comfort her.

"Thank you.."

He kissed her forehead, thinking over the things she had said in her sleep.

"Tempy, you were talking in your sleep. You said you would keep a secret? Is that the family oath you had spoke of before?" He asked.

She stiffened in his arms and he quickly went to put her at ease.

"I'm not asking you to tell me, sweet. I am just trying to understand."

She relaxed back into his hold and nodded, "I trust you, Draco, but I promised him. It was one of his last requests. I can share all the other information and books he had gathered but anything to do with that secret I can't."

"I understand, Tempy. I'm not upset. I am, however, curious about this information. Will it help us fight Him? Do you think there could be anything about how to remove Horocruxes?" His mind buzzed with the prospect of new knowledge and hope for an edge in this war.

For the first time that morning, she smiled. "Are you sure you're not a Ravenclaw?"

He gave her a playful glare, "My sweet, I can assure you I am all Snake. Slytherins covet information. Never know when it will come in handy. The more dirt you have, the more leverage."

"Ah, there's the Slytherin. Was afraid you had sprouted blue and bronze feathers." She teased, her earlier distress lessening.

"Ha ha, Tempy."

He gave her another squeeze before he pulled away and got out of bed, headed for the bathroom.

"Since its just about sunrise, lets get cleaned up and we can start on breakfast. How long do you think the others will sleep?" He asked, his voice echoing.

She reached her arms up and stretched, "I'd say another hour or so. The sleeping potion was mild so unless they were more exhausted than I thought they were, it shouldn't be too long."

He made a noise in acknowledgment as he went about his morning routine. She rose and went about picking clothes for the day, waiting her turn for the bathroom and thinking about the dream memory. It was vivid as if it had happened yesterday.

Just over two years she had waited for all the things her father had said would happen. Now that they were she was apprehensive and feeling out of her depth. Her father believed in her though, and Draco did, too.

She looked over at a lone picture on her dresser, one of her and her father when she was still little. The smiles were carefree and ignorant of the turmoil that would come to pass. She smiled bittersweet as she returned to her task.

_I'll make you proud, Daddy._

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Bellatrix stood over a boiling cauldron with a silver dagger in her hand. The night was dark and late as the potion bubbled a sickly green. The ingredients hadn't been hard to find and now all that remained to finish it was her own blood. A lot of it.

After being deposited unceremoniously by Snape in the woods she had decided to chance sneaking back to the manor while Voldemort was out. She knew her sister had been gifted a copy of the Black Family spell book as she had upon their respective marriages but hers had been seized when she had been sent to Azkaban. Her only hope to search for the spells and potions she needed was to find the one Narcissa had received.

Avoiding the cursed snake had been the most difficult task. The incompetence of the lower circle of death eaters roaming the halls of the once proud manor brought a sneer to her crazed face. If it had been only them guarding the property, she was confident she would have been able to walk in unopposed and unnoticed. The snake, however, was as vigilant as her Master. She knew the reptile would be able to scent her and would likely inform Him of her visit, but her desperate pursuit of redemption drove her and risking his wrath to regain his favor was worth it.

She had wasted so much time blindly searching, receiving torture for her failures. Searching Snapes library had given her an idea so being caught there had not been for naught. His mothers Family spell book had been sitting on a lone podium, protected, and had reminded her of her own. It had been years since she was able to hold the reverent text in her hands but she had read every page as a child and knew of a potion in its pages that could help her. Her memory of the recipe was long since faded and fuzzy from time and repeated _Crucios _but she knew it existed. The potion was costly but it would be just the thing to find her wayward nephew.

Looking down, the potion began to emit an unearthly glow and she knew it was time. She held the dagger high above her wrist, its deadly edge glinting in the moonlight.

"_Recurrat astri est sanguinis mei, Draco Malfoy."_ She chanted as she brought the dagger down and sliced the flesh open, a river of red spilling forth immediately. She held her wrist steady over the liquid as it greedily accepted her offering, taking in the steady stream.

There are all sorts of reasons why outsiders would say the Blacks were insane but if anyone were able to read the texts in the Family books they would dash that notion and come up with something far worse. The spells were dark, of course, but the depths in which they descended would drive the sanest person mad. The dangers to the caster or potioneer were far greater than anyone but a Black would be willing to face. You had to have a certain degree of insanity to be willing to attempt such things.

The potion called for the life blood of the brewer, as some darker potions did, but the amount and the process in which it worked were what made this potion exceptionally grim.

The brewer was to spill nearly all their blood into the cauldron upon its glow. If the brewer was able to survive with so little blood to sustain them, they were to immediately drink the potion, burning their mouth and throat, as it changed to a shadowed gray. It would burn their insides as the Familys magic judged them, deciding if their will and blood was strong enough and worthy enough to grant their request. If they were judged favorably, the spell would heal them of their wounds and replenish their blood. However, if they were found to be unworthy, they would die in agony as the potion burned them from the inside out. The risk was great but if successful the ability to track the persons magic you were trying to locate would never fade. Only death would break the bond to the magics. Extremely powerful blood wards could stall the location attempt but the seeker would always be able to find the general location and with someone determined enough, they would find their quarry with time.

It was with these words repeating in her head like a demented lullaby she forced herself to stay steady as the edges of her vision started to fray. Her body grew weaker as the flow of blood slowed, her heart barely pumping with the lack of blood supply. When she felt like she couldn't hold herself any longer, the cauldron puffed and gray smoke billowed out from its edges, signaling it was ready to be drunk.

With no strength to hold the goblet she had collected earlier, she leaned over the cauldrons edges and used her clean hand to cup the scalding soupy mess and drank it down. Her bloodied hand kept slipping in its attempt to hold the edge of the table she worked on and her throat protested as she drank. The potion burned and seared as it tore down her throat into her stomach, the pain more terrible than even her Lords _Crucio._

When she could physically drink no more she fell to the ground, writhing in absolute agony. Her screams were drowned out by the roaring of the wind that had pick up around her, the magics of her long dead Black ancestors answering the call to pass judgment. She could swear she heard their shrill hateful voices speaking out, questioning her summons and her will. She screamed back at them, daring them to deny her help in seeking out a traitor to their family.

As her vision faded to black, a cold sensation washed over her. The magics had judged her worthy and in her unconscious state, began to heal her. When she woke, she would be as she was before yet with the added ability to sense Draco. With this, she would again start her mission but for now, she slept in the cocoon of familiar magic.

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Harry and the others woke to the smells of breakfast cooking and after quick showers and hunting for clothes, made their way to the kitchen. The sight that met them still caught them off guard. After knowing Draco for their whole school lives, even with having been attempting to set aside the past, it was strange to see him so domestic.

His white blonde hair was still sleep mussed and he was smiling softly at Tempy as they worked together preparing the food and washing up as they went. In this person they could see the changed, or according to the man himself the real, Draco. No expensive tailored clothes accompanied by a sneer. Just a regular guy enjoying the moment with someone he cared about.

Harry chuckled, catching their attention. Tempy nodded in greeting as Draco cocked an eyebrow.

"What's so funny, Scarhead?" He asked, his tone curious and lacking in heat.

"Just seeing the mighty ferret of the snake pit looking so happy homemaker." Harry teased, his tone equally lacking any bite.

Draco merely rolled his eyes and motioned for them to sit.

"Yes, well, I don't see you complaining about the food so I must at least be good at it."

"Try eating practically nothing for a few months, you'll eat just about anything thrown in front of you."

Tempy walked by with a plate of food in each hand and still managed to cuff the back of his head in response, causing the whole table to break out in badly suppressed laughter.

Harry simply rubbed the spot and shook his head, smiling.

Once all the plates were set out, they tucked in with gusto, not realizing how hungry they had been after depleting so much energy the night before.

"Tempy?"

Tempy looked up at the sound of her name and found Ron had set down his silverware and was looking at her, his expression uncomfortable.

"Yes, Ron?" She asked, setting her own down as well.

"A lot of things were said last night that shouldn't have been said. Look, we all know this whole-" He gestured around the table to include all of them. "-thing will take time to get used to and settle. I know I'm not known for my patience, more known for my temper really, but I promise I will try harder. I can't say my mouth wont run away from me again, but I will try my best to think a bit first, yeah?"

Her eyes turned cold for a moment, remembering his words and actions from the night before, then they softened again as she nodded.

"I realize that last night was a lot more involved than any of us had planned and things became heated quickly but I still want to help. In fact, after we have eaten and finished up the cleaning I have something to show you all. Hermione, you will really love this."

Hermione perked up, "Oh?'

Tempy smiled, "I hear old books and tomes are your forte?"

Hermione smiled, "I have been known to visit the library on occasion."

All three boys scoffed at her downplay of her bookish nature.

Tempy giggled, "My father," she paused and closed her eyes, "before he passed, spent months gathering information he thought would be useful during the war. When Harry came out proclaiming the Dark Lords return, he knew he was telling the truth." She turned to Harry, "He had great faith in you, Harry. He had written to me before his death, telling me to trust you should I ever meet you. That it hurt his Slytherin pride to speak well of a bloody Gryffindor but it couldn't be helped."

Harry smiled sadly, noticing the tears lining her eyes that she held back, as Draco reached out for her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

Tempy shook her head before turning back to Hermione, "There is a shed on the property full of information and books from both our family lines dating back centuries as well as more current material from his reconnaissance missions. I was never privy to where he went but the amount of knowledge is vast. I've only been able to look through a bit of it and at the time it didn't make much sense. I'm hoping now, with you four here, we can find something useful."

Hermiones eyes were wide and brighter than they had been in ages and she went to stand.

"What are we waiting for!? We need to-"

"Oh, no, 'Mione! We need to eat before we lose you to books. If we don't who knows when we will eat again." Ron exclaimed loudly, quickly pushing her back into her seat. She looked affronted at first but sighed and nodded at the truth in his words.

The others laughed at their antics and soon the whole table had finished their meal and were helping with the cleaning. Tempy had turned to ask Hermione a question when the sound of broken glass rang out around them.

She turned to find Draco standing eerily still and paler than before, his face drawn tight in pain. She was at his side in an instant.

"Draco?"

He turned to her as the others rushed over, his teeth clenched tight. His breathing was heavy and his skin was hot, the fire in his magic recognizing an attack but unable to find the cause. With a shaking hand he reached out to cup her cheek, his eyes terrified and full of anguish.

"_Vestiguim Sanguis. _Bellatrix. Run." He grit out through his teeth before his eyes rolled back and he hit the floor, barely registering Tempys scream of his name before he was lost to darkness and fire.

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Bellatrix stared down at the ground that still held faint traces of Black Family magic. She had been apparating around to seemingly random areas, stretching out her senses looking for the magic that unfortunately and undeserving ran through her nephews veins.

When she awoke, she felt her magic reaching out and connecting with Dracos. Not so much in a bond but she knew the familiar yet different than her own tingle of magic. It was with a certain dismay that she realized that while she could, in fact, trace Dracos magic, it was not a link directly to him. It was a trail she had to follow from her last known location of him prior to the potions brewing and consumption. So, she had started from that blasted tree hollow and had found herself on the coast. Her rage had grown with each passing minute as she could sense him but unlike the clear picture at the tree, here it was distorted, like trying to see through foggy dawn.

As she was attempting to make sense of it, she caught another faint trace leaving back behind her so she followed it. Apparating along its travel path, she soon found its end in an empty stretch of forest, barren except for the winter trees and snow.

She had almost destroyed a whole section of forest in her anger and frustration that she almost missed it. A mark on a tree she recognized.

"Greyback." She hissed upon further inspection. Realizing she must be along his search path for mud-bloods and half-breeds that had tried to run, she decided to seek out the mangy dog. A voice in her mind kept urging her back to the coast, to investigate the reason behind the odd appearance of magic, but she stubbornly ignored it as she Apparated away to find Greyback and interrogate him.

If the mutt wouldn't talk, well, she could return to the coast then. After she had vented her frustration out on him and his men, of course.

AN: The spell used by Bellatrix in conjunction with the potion is translated using google so please dont string me up for a bad translation, I tried. I only know a few accurate phrases from high school Latin and honestly I use accurate lightly here. Its SUPPOSED to mean, Trace the one of my blood, Draco Malfoy. Draco tells Tempy the name of the potion which is, again SUPPOSED to, translated as A Trace of Blood.


	11. Skeletons in the Closet

Evening, everyone. Well, we are now into I believe the third week of school and I'm officially the walking dead at this point. However, it looks like things seem to be evening out. Hooray for being able to get my schedule back in order. I had said in a review response this would be posted Saturday and it is literally minutes after midnight saturday night/Sunday morning so my apologies. I blame my computer not cooperating with me. I'm in the market for a new laptop if anyone has suggestions. I don't PC game I mostly just write, watch videos, and do stuff on the net. Anyway, happy reading, loves.

All Around Me Ch. 11

Skeletons in the Closet

"Draco!"

Draco hit the floor with a dull thud as Tempy screamed. Harry and Hermione knelt down and tried to assess the damage as Ron held Tempy back, her magic flaring around them.

"He's burning up, Harry. It feels like his magic is fighting something but I don't know what." Hermione said as Harry checked him over for injuries from the fall.

"Tempy, what did he say before he blacked out?" He asked.

Tempys eyes hadn't left Dracos still form until then, "What?"

"He said something to you before he fell. Maybe it can help?"

Tempy shook Ron off her and covered her eyes, forcing out the chaos to filter out the memory that happened only moments ago but seemed to have dragged on hours ago. When she realized the words he had spoken she dropped her hands with a horrified gasp.

"Sweet Circe, no..."

"Tempy?" Hermione questioned.

"Harry, Ron, I need you two to move him to the couch and get him as comfortable as possible. Hermione, I need you to come with me. _Accio Tempys Lockbox_!" She stuck out her hand and after sounds from bumping and knocking things over, a box flew into her hand.

"What…?"

"He said the name of a potion that requires a spell to complete it. He also said Bellatrixs name. If it is what I think it is, then we just have one more thing to try and circumvent but I need to read the specifics. This," She motioned to her lockbox, "holds the key to the shed I mentioned earlier."

She removed a small cover on the side of the box, revealing a sharp pin. With no hesitation she pressed her thumb against it, holding back a wince. As blood coated the pin, a small glow grew around the middle, then a click was heard. She removed her thumb, not bothering to heal it, and opened the box, taking the small key within and setting the box down.

"Hermione, with me. Guys, get him moved, please." She said as she turned and ran out the kitchen door, Hermione fast on her heels.

Ron and Harry were motionless before a groan from Draco broke them out of their trance.

"Come on, mate, lets get him moved." Harry said and Ron bent down to help lift him. He was still surprisingly light but awkward from being dead weight. They got him out the kitchen and situated onto the couch, his skin slick with sweat and his breathing still too fast.

"Ron, go get a bowl of water and a flannel. We need to try and cool him down."

"You sure? He's fire like I am, isn't it trying to fight off whatever this is?"

"Fevers do the same thing but can still kill you if you get too hot. Go on, I don't think it will hurt to try and keep him cool."

"Right." Ron disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving Harry to wait.

"What in the bloody fuck is happening to you, Draco?" He whispered.

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Meanwhile, Hermione was just as confused as she raced after Tempy towards what looked like a derelict shed not far from the house.

"Tempy! Whats going on?" She asked breathlessly as she reached Tempys side.

Trembling hands were trying to unlock the lock on the sheds door.

"The potion and spell combination he mentioned are very old and very dark. They're only known in a few family grimoires anymore and honestly they should stay there and never be read again." the locked popped open and she threw open the door, dashing inside leaving Hermione to only follow again.

The wizarding space of the shed made the inside look more like a library than something to store tools in. Her eyes took in the mountains of books and scrolls lining the walls and a few tables before Tempys voice registered in her mind again.

"My familys grimoire should be in here as well. I haven't read it since I was a child so I'm not sure where it is exactly and we can't summon it. You wont be able to pick it up or open it but you will be able to see it. Its black and green with two serpents intertwined around a knights helmet."

As she started her search Hermione felt an uneasy curiosity well up in her.

"Why would your family spell book have dark magic in it, Tempy?" She asked.

Tempy paused in her rummaging and sighed, "Because the family that my distant grandmother was thrown out of was very dark, probably one of the darkest familys around. While she and her descendants were not the spell book is still passed down. I'll explain more of what I can inside but right now we need to find that book. Please, keep searching. It wont hurt you, those spells were removed long ago. Just yell out if you see it."

With that grim bit of a history lesson, they kept searching.

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Harry and Ron were getting anxious. They had been alternating flannels when they got too dry or warm and were wondering when the girls would return. Draco was still impossibly warm and they were clueless as to what to do.

"It's been a long time, Harry. Should one of us go check on them?"

"No need, we're here. I'm sorry, I couldn't remember where the grimoire was but Hermione found it." Tempy rushed out as she set it on the table and knelt down in front of it. Hermione followed and sat on the couch opposite the boys.

"So you think the spell thats affecting Draco is in that book?" Ron asked as he went to sit next to Hermione.

"I know it is." She whispered before shaking her head and hovering her hand over the closed tome.

"_Vestiguim Sanguis._" She spoke the name in an eerie tone and immediately the book responded. It flew open, the pages turning rapidly until they came to rest open. The pages were darkened with age but the acidic green writing could still be read clearly.

The group bent over the text but only Tempy seemed to be able to read the writing.

"Tempy, its blank."

"It's spelled to be able to be read only by one related to our blood or someone who can read the language its written in, Ron. Its a long forgotten language so that just leaves blood relations. But the words are there. Give me a minute to read through it and I'll tell the important parts."

Ron looked a little unsure but nodded his head and leaned back into the couch with Hermione. Harry was staring at her, face neutral but eyes full of confusion and questions, questions he would ask her later, in private.

She noticed none of this as her own eyes quickly read through the potions description and effects.

After nearly ten minutes of reading and rereading the pages she sighed and closed the book, rubbing her eyes. The trio were instantly alert and waiting.

"Tempy?" Harry prompted.

"It's what I thought." She answered wearily. "The _Vestiguim Sanguis_ allows the brewer to track someone related to them by using their own blood as the tracer. Bellatrix used this potion to try and find him. I guess shes still after him after failing to kill him before. I figure the Dark Lord would've killed her for failing."

"He probably thought he could still use her. He did keep Mr. Malfoy alive until recently and he failed big time at the Department of Mysteries." Ron mused.

Tempy nodded, "Yes, well, she must be on her last strike and desperate if she chose this method. The potion requires literally almost all of your blood. Then one has to drink it straight away, still piping hot. It burns your insides as the traces of your ancestors magic judges you. If your deemed worthy you're healed and have this new ability to always be able to trace the person invoked in the ritual. If not, then you die in anguish."

"Bloody mental." Ron shuddered as did Hermione, who picked up on the implications of the ability.

"Wait, does this mean that foul woman can find this place?"

Their faces grew worried before Tempy slowly shook her head.

"Not necessarily. Strong enough blood wards can put it off. She would be able to trace a general area, in this case probably to the nearest coastline. If she were rational she may deduce that there's an island out here but given what I know about her, she would be frustrated about the seemingly dead end. If she were to figure it out, she would still have to locate the island, find a way out here, and break down the wards. At the very least, this gives us some time to work with. My wards are powerful, I'd wager from what father has told me as strong or stronger than Hogwarts, so if she did find us and start to attack the wards we would have time to prepare a defense or to escape."

They took in the information before Harry asked the next question.

"Is that why Draco fell?"

"Not exactly. The spell is supposed to work without the person being traced knowing about it but because Draco has unlocked his elemental ability it's fighting the foreign magic. He is already in a fledgling bond with me as well so thats fighting it. It wont keep the trace from working but it may help to confuse it or put it off."

"Will he be ok? How long will he be like this?" Hermione asked.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I believe he will be alright. My magic is boiling under my own skin trying to assess him. The only reason it's not lashing out frantically is because I know the cause of his distress. From what I can tell right now, his magic is trying to break the trace but I think once its seen as something permanent it will even out, masking it as much as possible instead of outright trying to eradicate it. Theres some spells we can use to help mask it further but for now, we just have to let his magic adjust so he can wake up. Maybe a day or two?" Her voice was steady but her eyes were uncertain.

Harry reached out and grabbed her hand. Her eyes rose to meet his.

"Hey, he's survived everything else thats been thrown at him. He'll get through this, too."

She smiled at him and nodded once firmly.

"Why is such dark magic in your familys book?" Ron asked.

Tempy ran her hands through her hair, "My distant grandmother was cast from the family because she was nearly a squib and for being in love with a man that did not believe in blood purity. Her father didn't bother to magically disown her, feeling that she would die quickly without his support or home to live in. Obviously he was wrong but he was extremely arrogant. Her mother, although a blood purist, did not want her cast out but would not speak against her husband. Instead, she secretly passed on a copy of the grimoire to her as would normally be done after the child had grown and married. She loved her daughter but this was all she could do to show it. She married the man and the line continued through her and is still valid but unclaimed. This branch of that family is not dark, gray maybe but not dark, but this grimoire holds the spells from that era. Thus why it is full of dark magic."

"Unclaimed?"

"All I can say is that my ancestors didn't want their family tree well-known. Theres certain power and stigmas that come with names and no one, including my mother and I, wanted the stain that came with the name. Now, I can't tell you more than I have. I'm sorry, but I can't."

There was a heavy silence before Tempy steered the subject back to the current situation.

"Since there is nothing else we can do, I believe we should continue with our plans. Other than this grimoire and a few other books, you should be able to read all the others. We need to see what information we can gather. You three need to practice with your elemental magic as well. You can tap it but using it with purpose is much harder. I have a different element type than you guys but the principle is the same. I'll help in any way I can."

There were confirmations from them that this was the best plan of action and they discussed how best to go about it. Ever the one for schedules, Hermione was able to draw up a basic timetable for their research and training. With all of that done, Tempy announced she was going to start some tea then she would accompany Hermione to go retrieve some books to start with, not wanting to leave Draco unsupervised. Harry offered to accompany her and thats how they found themselves in the kitchen before Harry caught her by surprise.

_**"I could read the Parsletongue, Tempy."**_

She visibly startled at the statement before turning to him with wide and fearful eyes.

_**"I had forgotten you had the ability. Draco had mentioned it once and I believe I had read about it in fathers notes. I was so caught up in finding the potion. I don't understand how, though?"**_

He lifted his hand and gently touched his scar, her eyes following the movement before it dawned on her.

_**"Of course. With the soul shard you gain some of his abilities."**_

He nodded, _**"Now, I know what you told about the potion was true so theres that. Why not tell us what language? If something is in Parsletongue I can read it. I can help take some of that off of you."**_

_**"Harry, I couldn't. I promised." **_The hiss of her voice grew panicked as she spoke. If he kept asking questions she couldn't answer she feared he would pull away. She desperately needed him to understand but still trust her. She could feel the oath she took weighing heavily on her, knowing that in this moment it was not life or death.

Magical oaths were fairly literal and if not worded correctly could cause the oath taker problems when certain situations arose. Tempy knew in the grief of losing her father she had worded her oath poorly and outside of facing a situation where her oath would get her or the others killed, the binding magic would punish her if she revealed too much beforehand.

Harry studied her body language and the panic in her eyes before he reached out and gripped her shoulder in comfort.

_**"Life or death, right? You can't reveal your family name or connections to anyone unless keeping it a secret can get someone killed?"**_

She nodded shakily.

_**"Pretty rigid oath you made."**_ He paused and switched back to English. "You promised me that if the time came you would tell us. You intend to keep it, yeah?"

"Of course! When I made the oath I wasn't thinking about the literal aspect of the words. If I could I would tell you everything now, your judgment be damned. I don't want you to lose trust in me over this but I can't…"

"Tempy, I get it. I don't like it but I understand a little more than before now that I know that its a strictly worded oath and not just something you promised and are refusing to bend on. I won't tell the others about the Parsletongue if it will be an issue for you but, like the rest of it, I have no doubt it will come up in the future."

She turned to the now whistling pot of water and took it off the heat. Harry turned to gather the rest of the tea service.

"I sincerely hope we don't get into such a situation. Not because I don't want to explain, but I don't want anyone in danger."

Harry chuckled, "Tempy, we're the Golden Trio and Draco Malfoy. You have taken in the four people most guaranteed to attract danger. Sorry to inform you."

She smiled and arranged the tea tray before picking it up and motioning for him to follow her back out of the kitchen.

They spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon drinking copious amounts of tea and reading through her fathers research as Draco lay on the couch in troubled slumber, his fevered dreams plaguing his less than restful sleep.

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Snape sat in his office, the night late and silent as the students were already in bed. A quill in his hand, he struggled with what words to write.

He knew Bellatrix was searching for Draco but was unable to find him so it gave him hope that he was alive and safely hidden away. While he had been playing the part of faithful Deatheater he had been doing what any good spy does, gather information. He had information and tools that would serve him and Potter well but no way to guarantee that information would reach them. He had no clue to any of their whereabouts and he couldn't just send owls willy nilly trying to find them, especially if they were behind any sort of wards that Bellatrix couldn't get past.

He looked up at the portrait that should hold Dumbledore but the old man hadn't been in his frame in some time.

"Where's your advice when it might actually be needed, you old coot?" He muttered barely audible.

He sat in thought as one of the last conversations they had came to mind, where he had revealed his patronus. Lilys doe.

He bolted upright at the thought. A patronus may be able to find if not Draco then possibly Harry. The Deatheaters didn't know its form as barely anyone knew he could even cast one. Could he risk it?

He turned back to the blank parchment on his desk and contemplated. A patronus would only speak the message to the intended target unless otherwise instructed. If he could cast his away from prying eyes…

Decision made, he stood and grabbed his cloak before making his way out of the office. He prayed to Merlin that he could get away unseen and that no one would think to visit him so late. Thinking up excuses became tiresome after 20 years of doing it.


	12. Mind Walking and a Patronus

All Around Me Ch 12

Mind Walking and a Patronus

_Draco found himself walking through a dark cavern, mist swirling around his feet as he continued forward. He was confused, not sure were he was or how he had gotten there. His memory was fuzzy but he could remember the feeling of intense heat welling up beneath his skin and fear. The sheer terror he had felt before waking up in this place was nearly overwhelming. But what had he been so terrified of? He couldn't remember. _

_When he woke in the dark cavern there had been threads of what he determined to be magic in front of him. One he knew to be his and the other two were familiar. When he reached out to touch them, he found one made him feel warm and safe while the other filled him with that same terror and dread he remembered. This thread was latched onto his in an unwelcome way where as the warm and safe one was a mutual attachment._

_"Strange." He had thought. Unsure as to what he should do, he began to follow the warm thread._

_In no time at all he was enveloped in the warmth of magic from its host. _

_Tempy. Her name is Tempy. _

_Slowly pieces of memories came flooding back. He had been clearing the table with Tempy when he felt the other thread of magic forcefully attach itself to his own. He had said a name. What was the name? And why did it fill him with terror and an urge to get Tempy far away from him?_

_Unwilling to leave the warmth he felt but needing answers, he pulled himself away and found the other thread of magic again. Dread so thick he was choking on it, he grabbed on and followed the ghastly magic until he felt himself slip into someoneelses mind. _

_"What the..." He questioned as he looked around. If the thread had been bad then the mindscape attached to it was downright grotesque and filled with madness. It was filled with ominous shadows and harsh barks of insane laughter. It was the laughter that stopped him in his tracks and nearly froze the blood in his veins. _

_Bellatrix._

_It had been Bellatrix who had attached her magic to his by way of a dark potion and spell. Having read his mothers grimoire, he knew of the twisted spells and potions within it but had not thought that Bellatrix would use any of them if only for the fact that she had no access to any copies herself. _

_"She must have gotten Mothers somehow." He felt a spike of anger at that. She had taken so much from so many and that was just salt in the wound. He felt dirty and violated having her magic attached to his but he knew the specifics of the spellwork. Unless she died he wouldn't be free of her. That led him to his next question; How the hell was he in her mind?_

_He could make out faint voices past the continuous laughter that surrounded him. From what he could tell, she couldn't sense him there. Maybe this was some bastardized form of Legilimency? Or similar to how bond-mates could communicate? Pondering these questions, he moved around the bleak space, the voices growing louder as he walked. He reached a space that he could only compare to watching memories in a pensive yet these events seemed to be happening in real time. He realized he was seeing what his aunt was currently seeing and it made his stomach turn._

_On the ground at her feet were bodies of nameless witches and wizards as two figures stood angrily opposite of her._

"You mad bint! The hell do you think you're doing!?" _The large man in front of her shouted. He looked familiar but the name escaped him. _

"Tsk tsk, Greyback. I thought even mutts and their runts knew that when a Lady entered it is impolite to curse at them but maybe I expected too much of such dirty creatures." _Bellatrix giggled and he felt the cold shivers all over again. Greyback, of course. He knew the werewolf to be vicious and cruel and had crossed his path only a handful of times before but had always tried to keep his head down and out of sight. He had heard the rumors that Greyback had wanted to bite him, a favored punishment of his of those who failed the Dark Lord. Why he had been spared that fate he would never know but he wouldn't question that small fortune. _

"You apparate into our hideout, unannounced, and expect a warm greeting? Perhaps a drink or invitation to dinner? Bollocks. You did that on purpose." Scabior spat, irritation momentarily covering the fear he felt with every mad laugh to escape her lips.

"Now, now. No need for such ugly accusations, pets. Tell me what I need to know and I'll spare your pathetic lives. Can't say the same for those who so rudely interrupted me."_ She kicked one of the corpses in front of her and he winced. _

_Greyback and Scabior tensed but stood their ground._

_"_We don't have any information you would be interested in, Bella. Last I heard you were chasing that Malfoy pup. We haven't seen him so we have no business with you. Leave."

_Draco could feel the cruel smile form on his aunts face at Greybacks words. Her mind shifted and ravenous shadows rushed forward as her magic swelled. He watched as she threw a curse at him only for the two to dodge it. The black scorch marks reeked of the darkness in the curse, a particularly nasty one he knew was a favorite of his uncles. It literally tore ones insides apart and forced the sufferer to regurgitate them long before death finally came. His aunt wasn't in the mood for games, it seemed._

"Liar, liar. Really, mutt, you should know not to lie to me. I saw your mark on the trees where I found my dear nephews magic. You expect me to believe that you didn't see him? Maybe help him? I know you always wanted him for yourself. You were always talking about biting his pretty little neck and making him pack." _Draco wasn't sure if he could sick up while in an ethereal form but was sure he was about to find out. He knew the rumors but to have them laid out so bold and raw made him wish he was in physical form so he could empty his stomach._

"You're more barmy than they give you credit for. I work for the Dark Lord, I'm in the business of catching wayward pups, not helping them escape. If you felt his magic on one of our trails then it was there after we had left."

"LIAR!" _He had to cover his ears as her yelling reverberated around him. He felt her move as she lunged for them, he wand drawn and curses on her lips. _

_"_BELLA!_" Everything, including the air around them, seemed to freeze at the sound of her name spoken in His voice. All eyes turned to the nearby fire place where the Dark Lords face peered in. Draco briefly wondered how long he had been watching before his voice echoed in an eerie calm around the room. _

"If this is what you are doing rather than looking for the brat, then my mercy was wasted on you." _Bella immediately fell to the floor as Greyback and Scabior followed suit. _

"My Lord, I was following a lead. These foul creatures know where he is, I know it-"

"ENOUGH, BELLATRIX!" _They all recoiled as if anticipating the Crucio he would have cast had he been there in person. "_I am not interested in your desperate theories. I want results. If you're still there when I come through, consider your life forfeit. I grow tired of your incompetence_."_

_His head disappeared from the flames and Bellatrix threw one last hateful look at the two smug looking men before she quickly apparated away._

_Apparition while being stuck in someones mind was certainly an experience Draco wasn't keen on trying again anytime soon. He gave himself a firm shake before allowing his eyes to focus again. He saw they were now standing on the edge of a cliff along the countrys shoreline._

_He instantly knew that out on the water was Tempys island. The trace had brought her as close as it could due to the blood wards. He began to panic as he realized all she had to do was locate the islands wards before attempting to break them down. _

_Thoughts began to rush past him as he felt her anger grow. Fearing what could happen if he stayed any longer, he quickly made his way back to the tether of magic leading back to his own, and made to leave, but not quick enough to miss her chilling words._

"I will find you, dear nephew, and when I do, I will destroy every last part of you at my Lords feet. I will make you beg for your death before I watch you devoured alive by his familiar. I will laugh as your meet your deserved end."

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Severus Snape stood cloaked not far from where Bellatrix muttered her rage filled threats. He had been near the shack that Greyback used as a hideout. Wanting to make sure he was in the clear, he had secretly visited locations most commonly used by the inner circle to be sure of their whereabouts after stopping back at Spinners End to gather what he would need. He had overheard enough to know that Bellatrix had a method of tracking Draco but it had somehow led her to the werewolf. He heard His voice and had followed Bellatrix with a quickly cast tracer.

He stood just within the treeline, listening to her ranting about a potion and how the spell couldn't have failed, questioning the significance of the shoreline she had found herself on.

He was able to piece together what she had done but unlike her, he could figure out why she was being thrown off. He quietly apparated away further down the coastline but still within sight of the vast channel. He stared out over the chaotic waters, searching but not finding anything right off but sensing the faint presence of _something._

_"__Clever."_ He thought to himself, feeling his earlier assumption was correct, that his Godson had somehow hidden behind powerful wards.

Looking carefully over in the direction where he had left Bellatrix to her insane ramblings, he cast his patronus and quickly gave it his message before sending it on its way. He watched as the Doe ran across the surface of the water into the distance before he apparated away to another location. Here, he withdrew from his cloak a small lock box, not unlike the one owned by Tempy. He knelt down at the base of an old tree and buried the box safely in its roots and soil, praying to any God that would listen that the contents would end up in their intendeds hands.

With that done he returned to Hogwarts, no one the wiser to his absence.

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Tempy, to put it simply, had a headache. They had spent many hours and endless pots of tea reading over as much of her fathers research as possible but sadly, most of it were things that the trio already knew or just confirmed their suspicions.

Curiously, a strange symbol kept popping out randomly throughout his notes with not much explanation. Hermione, after double checking both her fathers notes and her own, had declared it to be the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. Ron had piped up, stating it was a children's tale. Harry was very interested in it but both Hermione and Ron were convinced that it didn't warrent much investigation. Harry argued that it kept popping up so there must be more to it than just a children's story.

Tempy had taken Harrys side, stating that if it was such an interest to her father that he made note of it over and over again, then it was indeed important. After much disagreement on the matter it was finally decided to wait on it a bit longer while they tried to find more information on the Horocruxes.

By the time they had reached an agreement, it was time to attempt to train their elements. Breaking for a quick snack and more tea, Tempy gave them each an item to manipulate with their element.

Hermione received a glass of water, Ron a blank parchment, and Harry received a pinwheel transfigured from a pencil. Holding her own seeds in her hand she instructed the others on what to do.

"Have you three begun to learn the basics of wandless magic yet?" She asked.

"Snape tried to teach us wordless last year in DADA. Hermione was able to complete some spells." Ron answered.

"Ok, both are hard to accomplish but with wordless you still have something to focus your magic into, you just have to do it silently. That may work out better for you at this stage, I'm not sure, but in the end this will be as if you were casting wandlessly and wordlessly. You've seen it when you've tapped into it and you've seen it when it breaks free accidentally due to emotional overload but to do so with intent is another animal all together. This will take hard work and practice so don't be discouraged or frustrated if you can't do this right away. I'm amazed and proud that all of you have this to begin with."

A groan caught her attention and she turned to the couch where Draco lay. She stood up quickly and rushed over to him once she noticed his eyes opening.

"Draco?" She questioned as she combed his hair back out of his face.

"Hey, Sweet." He whispered.

"You're an arse, Draco Malfoy, don't you ever scare me like that again!" Her scolding was voided by the relieved smile she gave him.

He chuckled, though it was labored, "I'll try not to. I'm really tired but we need to talk..."

She kissed his temple as he trailed off, "Rest. I know about the potion and I know the specifics. We're safe for now, I promise you. Rest now and we can talk when you wake."

He looked like he was about to argue but Harry interrupted before he could.

"Don't worry, mate. We got this. Rest while you can because as soon as you're well you're going to have to go through the same torture shes putting us through." He joked, holding up his pinwheel.

Draco laughed but did settle back down into the softness of the couch cushions.

"Don't push them too hard, Sweet. He needs to off the snake face bastard so he has to survive your training first."

She rolled her eyes and gently hit his shoulder, "Enough out of you. Rest now."

He closed his eyes and smiled, "Yes, ma'am."

After a moment or so of combing his hair back, his breaths evened out in sleep. She pulled away and sighed, relieved to have him back but still worried about what had happened while he was unconscious. He had let out small sounds of distress all morning and through the afternoon and she had been so preoccupied with worry that she kept having to make herself focus on the research at hand. She hoped that now that she knew he was ok that she would be able to better help the trio in their training.

"Right," She started as she turned back to them, "back to it then. What I was trying to explain is how this will feel. You're not concentrating your magic to flow into a wand but you are still directing it just more in freeform. We're going to start off with small manipulations but eventually you'll be able to manifest the elements even without a target. Earth is a tad different in this aspect because I can't pull earth from the atmosphere but I can call upon the roots and soil below to gather round me. Water is in the air around us, air just needs a push of magic to become fierce and deadly, while fire can be ignited and fed by the oxygen in the air with the magic as a fuel and ignition source."

She held her hands out and within seconds vines and roots had slithered in between floorboards to form a cocoon around her. Then they silently retreated and returned to from where they came. She smiled then motioned to the items in front of them. "Each of you have an item that you can manipulate with your elemental magic. Hermione, your goal is to make the water in the glass move. Make it come out of the glass, make shapes, maybe make a whirlpool, whatever you can think of as long as the water is moving due to the magic and not an outside force."

Hermione nodded in understanding before reaching out for the glass.

"Ron, your goal is to light the parchment on fire then to control the flames so that they don't burn the whole page. With practice you should be able to have only the corner lit and stay lit."

Ron looked a bit dubious at the task but took the parchment in hand and nodded his understanding as well.

"Harry, you look forlorn. I know its going to take some practice but I don't doubt that all of you can do this." Tempy commented as Harry held his pinwheel.

"No, you're right, I know we can do this. I was just thinking that I once saw Dudley trying to play with one of these but he was mad it wouldn't work." He chuckled, "The berk didn't understand that it was a simple toy you ran about with or stuck it somewhere where the wind would hit it just right. He kept blocking the spin somehow so he got fed up and tossed it out. I managed to save it and would try to make it move on my own in my cupboard."

He ran his fingers over the blades of the pinwheel, lost in memory, "It seems silly to think about but knowing what I know now, I know I made it move. Maybe not much, but enough to make me smile and give me hope."

Tempy reached out and touched his hand, "Those muggles are vile but know this, you rose above them. You came out of that horror a wonderful person and you will come out of this as well."

He gave her a small grin before focusing back on the pinwheel.

"So, like back in the cupboard? Make it move?"

She nodded, "Move forward, backwards, do quick change ups, maybe even make it fly. Whatever you wish as long as its your magic fueling the wind."

With a firm nod from him, the three friends set out to complete their goals.

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It was a few hours later when Tempy walked out the kitchen with some trays levitating around her carrying food and tea.

The trio had been practicing hard but, in their eyes, hadn't made much progress while in Tempys eyes, they had accomplished much.

Hermione was able to hover the water away from the glasses edges now but unable to bring it out and above the glass just yet. Ron was able to light the parchment but had to replace it a few times as he quickly let the flames burn the whole thing to ash. He was now able to stop the flames about half way down but unable to maintain the flame for more than a couple minutes without it either dying or burning the remaining parchment. Harry had the most improvement with being able to make the pinwheel spin rapidly in one direction but was unable to switch quickly nor had he attempted to make it fly just yet.

Having taken her years to fully master her own element, she was impressed and overjoyed that they had come this far in only a few hours.

"Ok, guys, thats enough for tonight. It's time to eat. You have made a lot of progress so please don't look so discouraged. You're doing a lot better than I did when I first started."

The three wearily set their items back on the table and leaned back heavily into the couch. Tempy sat on the edge where Draco slept and set the trays down before magically sending plates to each person.

"Eat, you'll feel better. Just like your elements, you need fuel, too."

"I could eat." Dracos voice croaked.

Tempy turned and smiled down at him, "Hey, you're awake."

"And famished." He answered, cautiously pushing himself into a seated position.

"Are you sure you're rested enough?"

"Yes, Sweet, I'm fine, I promise. Some of your wonderful cooking will set me right."

Harry and Ron made fake gag noises and laughed while Hermione scolded them for being rude. Tempy just rolled her eyes and smiled before grabbing him a plate and serving him dinner.

"It's nothing fancy tonight. Rabbit with potatoes and vegetables."

"Doesn't matter, you made it so therefore, it's amazing."

"*cough* suck up *cough*."

Harry and Ron broke out in laughter again while Hermione made her plate and ignored them, having already scolded them once.

"Whats this then? I wake up and suddenly it's take the piss out of Draco day?"

"No, mate." Harry calmed as he served himself, "Just still bloody weird to see you so… I guess charming would be the word, yeah?"

"More like sickly sweet." Ron offered, filling his plate and sitting back down beside Hermione, who gave her two sickles on the matter.

"Honestly, its sweet, Draco, just not something we're used to."

Draco huffed, but took the ribbing in stride. He thanked Tempy for his plate and after she had made her own and sat back down he asked how training had gone, knowing he would have to catch up.

He was impressed with their progress and even stated so, much to their surprise. A Draco Malfoy that offered compliments was one they were not used to either.

"Did you bang your head on the way down?" Ron asked.

Draco sighed, "No, but some things happened while I was out I think I should share with you." When their attentions were on him, he continued, "Was Tempy able to explain what the potion is and how it works?"

"She was, she said it was a potion one used along with a spell to put a permanent trace on, that the one tracing would always be able to find their victim with the exception of some blood wards." Hermione answered in her usual student answering a teacher voice.

Ignoring the urge to poke fun, Ron agreed, "Yeah, that sounds bout right. The whole ritual is bloody twisted, innit?"

Draco nodded, "It's not something I would do, I'll tell you that. Belltrix is bloody mad. More so than I previously thought. While I was unconscious, I found her thread of magic where its attached to mine. Only, I didn't remember much at first. I found Tempys, from our bond, as well and followed it. Quickly got all my memories of her back and slowly followed Bellatrixs until I got those memories as well. Funny thing, I ended up in her head."

"WHAT!?" A chorus of shouts rang out from everyone. He sipped his tea before explaining to them everything he had seen and heard while in her mind.

After he had shared every detail he could recall, Hermione bolted upright.

"Bellatrix said she traced your energy to a spot in the woods where Greyback had been?" He nodded. "That must have been who was leading the snatchers! Right as we portkeyed away a group of snatchers were running for us but we managed to get away before they caught us. Do you think the magic in the vial was enough for her to trace?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Draco shrugged. "I know what the book had said about the potion and the spell but it never said anything about me being able to go into her head so I'm sure there's some details we wont know about until they present themselves."

"Maybe we could use that to our advantage. Scatter bits of your magical signature to lead her on a false trail?" Ron offered.

Harry agreed, "It sounds like it could work, yeah?"

"It's worth trying. When I was able to find the thread to get back to my own body, Bellatrix was on the coast. Shes too angry to figure out that theres an island out her right now but, given time, I'm sure she'll figure it out. Shes desperate, but not stupid."

"I'll check the wards and make sure they're solid. Wouldn't hurt to do some upkeep. I'm bound to you so some of your magical signature will show in me so there's that too. We'll just have to find ways to confuse her and send her down false trails like Ron said." Tempy stated, her voice strong with conviction.

They continued their supper with small talk about training and what they had found in the research notes. Draco was of the opinion that the Deathly Hallows were important but couldn't remember what was making them seem so important to him. As the debate sparked up again there was a shudder in the wards causing the group to stand and draw their wands.

"Tempy, are the wards secure?" Draco asked.

Tempy closed her eyes and reached out her magic.

"They're intact. Something came through them though. Nothing human nor creature but something."

"What? How is that-"

Suddenly, a bright light filled the room as the Doe patronus entered and walked right up to Draco, its nose brushing against his hand.

"Severus?" He asked in a whisper.

The Doe looked up at him then to the others who still had their wands drawn.

"It's from Severus. It's his patronus, he must have had something important to tell me to risk sending it." He turned back to the Doe, "You can tell me with them here. They can be trusted."

The Doe nodded and Snapes familiar baritone voice projected from its dainty form.

_"__Not safe to send letters. I have information for you, hidden away in the spot where I first saved your life. I hope you found Potter and he now has the information he needs. I followed Bellatrix to the coast. If you're out on the water somewhere she hasn't figured it out yet. If you don't already know she used the 'Vestiguim Sanguis' potion. Be wary when you leave the wards that hide you. Remember where I first saved your life and the price to obtain that which not all should see."_

With one last nuzzle to his hand, the Doe disappeared. Draco stared at the space it stood longingly while Harry stared at it confused.

"His patronus is a Doe?" he asked quietly.

He nodded, watching Harry closely.

Harry clenched his hands into fists and let out a deep shaky breath.

"When Ron was away and Hermione and I were still in the forest with the locket, a patronus appeared to me and I followed it. It brought me to the Sword of Gryffindor, that we ultimately used to destroy the locket Horocrux. I followed it because I felt like I needed to, that I could trust it. My mothers patronus was a Doe. She's gone, yeah, so theres no way it could have been hers, no matter how badly I would like it to be." He paused. "It was Snape, wasn't it?"

Draco turned his body towards Harry, still watching him carefully, "I wouldn't doubt it. Not many people know he can even cast a patronus, let alone what form it takes. I know he knew you were able to steal the locket, as you saw in the memory, but I don't know if he knew you had no way to destroy it. He would have risked a lot to get the sword to you and use his patronus, just as he is risking a lot sending it now. I don't know what he could have for us, but I trust him."

The two locked eyes, seemingly having a silent conversation between them before Harry nodded curtly and turned to Hermione and Ron.

"What do you two think?" He asked.

They looked to each other before Hermione spoke first.

"Everythings so different now, not at all like we thought it to be. Whatever you choose, I'll stand by you, Harry."

He smiled at her in thanks before turning to Ron.

He groaned, "I don't want to be the arse in this situation, but we do know this isn't a trap or hes not being watched and used as bait or anything?"

Harry went to answer but Draco stopped him. He turned his attention to Ron.

"No, we don't know if hes being watched or that this isn't some form of trap. I know and will swear on my magic that Severus isn't part of planning such a trap but I can't promise that his actions aren't being monitored. He is on our side."

Ron stared at him, searching for any hint of a lie, before he shrugged, "Right, I still don't like it, but I trust Harry and am learning to trust you and Tempy. Snape is a whole different boggart, but I'll follow Harry."

Draco let out the breath he was holding. Tempy reached over and wrapped her arm around his waist, nuzzling her head against his shoulder.

"So, what now? Do you know the place he was talking about?"

He looked back at Harry and nodded, stiffing a yawn.

"Yeah, when I was a kid, Severus used to take me ingredient hunting. It got me out of the house and away from my father for a few hours every weekend. It was probably the most fun I would have all week. One time I wasn't paying attention to where I was picking and I startled a snake. I don't remember what kind, it was so long ago, but it bit me. I remember it hurt but I didn't realize exactly how bad it had been until Severus was standing over me trying to get me to respond. The man is a walking apothecary, so he reached into his robes and forced a few potions down my throat, rubbed a salve on the bite and sat with me for the hour or so that it took for me to recover."

"Do you think you could apparate us there?"

"Maybe one or two but not all of us."

"Ok," Tempy stepped in. "I'm gonna stop this right here. It's late and we are all exhausted and don't you argue, Draco, I saw you yawn you still need rest. We can plan this mission in the morning."

Though he wanted to argue, he knew she was right. He was struggling to stay awake. The others seemed to be in much the same mood, having expended most of their energy trying to control their elements.

After everyone reached an agreement to talk things out and make their plans in the morning, they all took their potions and went their separate ways to bed, each pondering their own questions and emotions on the days events.

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Severus Snape sat at his desk nursing a glass of his favored whiskey. He had made it back unnoticed earlier in the day and was glad for it. While he would never regret helping his Godson and Potter as much as he could, he would hate the humiliation at being caught. He had been a spy for damn near 20 years, it would simply be unbecoming of his skill level to be caught.

The moment Draco received his message he felt it. Relief flooded him, knowing his Godson was in a safe enough space to receive it. Now he could only wait. He had left a sort of alarm spell on the box to alert him when it was disturbed and if the person who dug it up was able to open it. Theoretically, only Draco should be able to open it as it required a blood key but he wouldn't put it past the Dark Lord to find a way should he or one of his minions managed to find it. The likelihood was slim but paranoia came with the territory when one was a spy.

As he finished his whiskey and headed up to bed, he failed to notice the twinkling eyes staring out at him from the edge of a portrait.


	13. Retrieval

Hey everyone! I apologize for the long wait. My computer refused to work with me and I think I've finally got it working ok again, least for now. I am shopping for a new one more seriously as my current one is having more and more problems and getting harder to fix each time. Shes 5+ years old so its about time. Anyways, heres the next chapter, loves. Hope you all enjoy!

All Around Me Ch. 13

Retrieval

The sky was darkened with storm clouds and the cold air made bitter by the biting winds as Harry and Draco appeared among the trees of some nameless land. Harry, truly for his part, had no idea where they were. Draco barely remembered the location as it was so it was risky to apparate at all but he was able to picture the little grove enough to manage.

The two took a moment to look around before Harry broke their silence.

"So he used to bring you here?"

Draco nodded, "Yeah, sometimes. We didn't come here as often as other places but some of the rarer ingredients he used could be found here. I haven't been here since before I started at Hogwarts."

Harry watched as he walked towards a particular grouping of trees, his wand firmly at the ready.

The morning had started out peaceful enough but with an underlying tension. Draco was eager to retrieve whatever Snape had left for them as well as Harry but the others had expressed concerns for safety and caution. Draco could be tracked the minute he left the wards and he could only apparate one other person. Harry had wanted to go, not wanting to sit around, but he was Undesirable No. 1. Everyone was looking for him. Understandably, there was some back and forth over the issue.

_Earlier that morning_

_"Look, mate, I get it. You want to do something but if He or any of his goons finds you, thats it! We're done! You're dead." Ron had exclaimed, his voice rising._

_Harry let out a frustrated growl, "I can't just sit here, Ron! And Draco can't go alone. I'm not about to risk anyone else."_

_"But Draco has a trace on him, Harry. No offense to him but he could lead Bellatrix right to you." Hermione added with an apologetic look in Dracos direction to which he waved off in understanding._

_"She's right, Harry. I'm like a beacon right now. I should just go alone. I'm a grown wizard, you don't need to babysit me."_

_Harry turned to him and glared, "You may be bloody grown, as are the rest of us, but I refuse to let anyone go off on their own. We all need someone to watch our backs, no solo missions."_

_"May I interject?" Tempy asked as she set her tea cup down. She had been listening to the arguments for the better part of the hour, noting concerns and making her own plans._

_The four turned to her, slightly sheepish in the fact that had about forgotten she was there._

_"The wards recognize the four of you now so you will be able to apparate in and out as long as I am here. You should be able to escape quickly should the need arise."_

_Harry turned to Ron and Hermione, "See?"_

_"However, if Severus is being watched and a trap is laid or should Bellatrix find you before you find what he has hidden for you, there could be anti-appartition wards thrown up upon your arrival. Even if not, they could surprise attack and stun you as soon as you appear. And, yes, with the trace on Draco it makes it more dangerous as we do not know how long it would take for Belltrix to pick up on it then get to him."_

_Hermione and Ron motioned back to Harry in a 'told you.' motion._

_"That's not to say I think its a trap. I'm simply stating you need to be ready for whatever may come. I have an idea but it would take me some of the day and a good bit of magic."_

_"Will it hurt you?" Draco asked, his brow furrowed. The others looked to her in similar concern._

_"No, but I will be quite exhausted when its done and unable to assist in training today. If Ron and Hermione would like to train on their own that is fine or they could go through more research. On that note the three of you still need to learn the basics of Occlumency to sheild yourselves. Merlin so much to do..." She trailed off as she picked up her tea cup to drink, losing herself in her thoughts._

_They all shared a look when she didn't continue. Harry and Draco were still adamant on going and would probably go anyway but Draco didn't want to endanger Harry and Harry needed his friends on board._

_"Tempy? What's the idea?" Hermione asked, breaking her from her thoughts._

_"Oh, right. Well, we were never going to stay on this island forever, now were we? We could always come back to it when we needed rest or between retrieving Horocruxes. Problem is, I would have to apparate you in. The wards recognize you but will only allow you through if I am here. Think of me like a key to a lock. When I am not here, and I will be going with you all to help, you will need a way to get in without me. The tree portal Draco used was designed only for him and has since closed upon his arrival here. I had the thought to make multiuse portkeys that the wards will recognize as me to allow you entry even if I am not here. I can add spells to them to deflect stunning spells and a few others that may be used to stop or slow you down. This way, even if you're attacked you have a chance to portkey away with or without the anti-apparition wards." She shrugged and sipped her tea._

_"You can put all of that on a portkey?" Harry asked._

_"You can if you have enough magic. Portkeys are tricky to make as it is, thats one reason they're so regulated, but adding other spells to them takes a bit more." Hermione explained, thinking over the idea in her head._

_"You can make them?" _

_Tempy turned her head to Ron and raised a brow, "I made the one used to bring you here before, remember?"_

_"Yeah, I know, but that was just a portkey. Only one at that. Can you make five with the extra spells?"_

_Draco bristled a bit at Harrys side at, what he felt, was Ron doubting Tempy but she shot him a look and he, begrudgingly, held his tongue._

_"As I said, it will exhaust me but I can do it. I can at the very least make the first two so they can go on their mission."_

_"I'll test them." Draco stated. "I trust her spell work but I'll test them so the rest of you know they're safe and functional."_

_Harry gave him an understanding and grateful look while Hermione and Ron exchanged equally relieved but guilty looks. When it seemed like they had reached an agreement, Tempy finished her tea before getting up to leave. _

_"I'll let you know when they are done. While I'm gone, do some more research or practice with your elements. Harry and Draco, I would suggest you refrain from doing so as you should conserve your energy." With that she left the kitchen and them to their own devices._

She had come back a couple hours later, slightly more pale then normal and looking tired. Draco had been immediately concerned but she just smiled and handed him two necklaces, one with a lion charm and one with a snake charm, and told them the activation phrase and to be careful. He had taken her back to their room and settled her in for a nap before returning to the others. He set one down and without warning apparated away.

Before anyone could react too much he was back, clutching the portkey. He smiled and handed Harry his before grabbing the other one and repeating the process. With that, they were set to continue their plans.

Harry stood now, fiddling with the little charm, scanning the area. They still had no idea how long it would take Bellatrix to sense the change in his location but at least so far there didn't seem to be a trap.

"Harry."

He turned back to Draco, who was kneeling at the base of an old tree surrounded by smaller, younger trees.

"Is this it?" He asked as he walked over to him.

Draco nodded, "I think so. Theres new growth around it but theres a few plants I recognize that I used to help him gather. Also, the earth here was recently disturbed." He transfigured a nearby stick into a spade and began to dig down.

Harry kept his eyes scanning the horizon for threats as he dug. They had agreed to be gone no longer than 15 minutes and their time was about half gone. The wind picked up speed as the sky grew darker, seemingly warning them to hurry.

"I've got it!" Draco called out, excitement in his voice. Harry turned and smiled at him just as a loud crack resonated through the air. They both looked up to a sight that chilled them.

Bellatrix Lestrange stood maybe 20 yards from them, looking even more deranged than they had ever seen her with a smile to chill your bones.

"Hello, dear nephew." She said as she pointed her wand in their direction. "I see you've made new friends. Why don't you bring him to Auntie Bella and introduce us?" She cackled as lightening cracked and spider veined across the sky.

"Not quite 15 mintues then." Harry muttered as he stood stock still. Draco was frozen behind him as well.

"We need to go. Now. Not fight, we need to go." Draco whispered panicked.

Harry mumbled his agreement as he watched Bellatrix walk closer to them.

"Harry Potter, my my I have made quite the find. My Lord will be pleased." She continued to giggle.

Harry saw Draco grab his charm and he did the same. "Like hell, he will, Bellatrix. Tempest Cove!"

Bellatrixs face turned into a snarl as they were pulled away by the portkeys. She screamed and threw a few curses but it was too late. They had disappeared. She raged as she felt out with her magic, trying to trace him, but grew even more enraged when she found it stopped at that damned coastline again.

She apparated back and glared out over the water. He was out there somewhere she knew it but just couldn't figure out why the trace stopped her at the coast. To her knowledge, water didn't block its ability.

Her anger grew as she realized the magnitude of what had happened. Harry Potter was with her nephew. That meant that they were possibly working together. Draco didn't have a lot of knowledge but regardless she knew he was helping them and that was unacceptable. If her Master knew she had them and they escaped, AGAIN, she knew she was done. She would never admit to feeling panicked but she felt it, masked by anger.

She stared out across the water, almost willing Draco to appear before her. She had to figure out why here he just disappeared. When she did find him, and the Potter brat as well, she would bring them in, broken and bleeding, and toss them at her Master feet. She would be praised and on top again, his number one Death Eater. She would succeed.

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Draco and Harry tumbled through the turbulent space that is portkey travel and felt themselves falling. They hit the ground with a thud, knocking the wind from both of them. They lay there on the ground for several minutes, breathing deeply and riding out the adrenaline coursing through their veins.

"Harry?" Draco asked breathlessly.

"Yeah?" He answered, equally breathless.

"That was too close."

Harry laughed, "Yeah, yeah it was."

They were quiet for a minute before Draco chuckled. Harry turned his head to look at him laying on the ground holding back laughter.

"What?"

Draco turned to him and smiled, "Did you see her face when you yelled at her and we activated the portkeys?"

He barked out a laugh, "Yeah, she looked pissed."

"She likes to play with her opponents. Was brilliant to see her face knowing we had gotten away. Shes mental and right terror if you have to deal with her. I think that was the first time I ever laughed at her."

He shook his head and tried to sit up as Draco did the same. It had been maybe 20 minutes or so since they set out but it felt like ages. They knew there was a risk of Draco being tracked and now that they knew their time limit was much shorter than they had guessed, they needed a new plan for hiding Draco when they left the island.

"Come on, Scarhead. We should get back and open this thing. See what was so important that Severus risked putting it there in the first place."

"I'm coming, ferret. Just catching my breath."

As they got to their feet they took in the area, noticing they weren't near the house.

"How come when you used the portkeys earlier, you reappeared at the house but now we're back in the woods?" Harry asked as they began walking the path back to the house.

"I wondered that too. Maybe that was just luck and the portkey just drops us somewhere on the island?"

He shrugged and they continued their walk, figuring they could ask Tempy when they arrived.

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Severus was at his desk when he felt the alert that his box had been unearthed. It was a gentle tingle, signaling to him that the intended person had received it. He let out a slow sigh of relief. One less thing to worry about. There was enough as it was.

He was reading over some documents concerning missing students, all children from light families, and pondering their movements. He knew the Longbottom boy had seemingly disappeared recently but slowly more and more had joined him wherever they were hiding.

He wouldn't show it but he was worried. He had hope they were just in hiding and not 'missing' as he overheard conversations among the Deatheaters about how their classes were being sabotaged or their things gone missing. He thought it reckless of them to be pulling such stunts if they were indeed trying to hide but he couldn't exactly fault them for fighting back in whatever way they could.

"They're safe, Severus."

The voice startled him but he didn't react beyond halting his reading. He knew the voice but never thought he would hear it again. The man had been absent from his portrait since he had awoken in it.

Carefully, he stood and turned towards the empty portrait frame. Like every time he looked at it, it only held a chair and various items in the background, but not the late headmaster.

_"I need a whiskey and sleep."_ He thought to himself as he put away the papers and left for his quarters.

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Dumbledore left his portrait quickly, not wanting to be seen. He would like to have a conversation with Severus again but feared what that would mean for the spy if it was ever found out. He would check in periodically, along with the other frames he had in various places across Britain. He was headed to one now, located in a long forgotten manor where an old friend resided.

He arrived in the frame and looked around. He smiled upon seeing his old friend and his wife, sitting comfortably in their large frame. The man was a middle aged gentleman with fair skin, blue eyes, and peppered hair while his wife was pale with long luxurious black waves of hair and bright green eyes. They stopped their conversation upon his arrival and they stood to greet him.

"Headmaster, do you have any news?" The man asked anxiously, his wife wringing her hands beside him.

"Now, now, Ciaran, calm yourself."

"Sir, no disrespect, but our daughter is out there in this war. I'm allowed to be a little animated."

"Ciaran, I promised you and Terra that I would bring news when I had it. I do not have a lot to share but I believe I have come across something interesting. Would you please have a seat?"

The two shared a look but complied with the former headmasters request.

"Sir, what news do you bring?" The woman, Terra, asked.

He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling.

"My dear, I believe you're daughter is in fact aiding Mr. Potter. I've tried to remain hidden but I have heard things to suggest it. I do believe young Mr. Malfoy has made his way to her as well."

"Draco? Her soul-bonded?" Ciaran asked.

"The very same."

"Tell us everything." Terra pleaded, leaning forward in her seat.

Dumbledore proceeded to tell them what he knew. He had traveled around and overheard talk of the young Malfoy heir gone missing, now considered Undesirable No. 2, and how he was being sought out. He told them about how watching from a hidden area in his Hogwarts portrait, he could read reports on Severuss desk. The man muttered when he was alone at times and he could make out one particular night how he had figured out Draco was in hiding somewhere out over the water, leading him to believe he was with his old friends daughter. He gathered from more mutterings that it was possible the Golden Trio was with them as well, based on Snapes overhearing Greyback and Scabior arguing with Bellatrix. He told them that he could not be 100% certain but that he felt that they were all together and actively working to bring Voldemort down.

The couple looked stricken with worry. They had known, even when they lived, that their daughter had a part to play in this war. How could she not when the monster had sought her out as a baby? That did not soothe their worries however. The only thing that did was that she wasn't alone anymore.

"Sir, will they win?" Terra asked, afraid to ask anything else.

Dumbledore picked up on her unasked question.

"My dear, I do not know who will live through this but I have the highest faith that those five young people will win this war. I can only hope that they all can go on to lead the happy lives they deserve."

She closed her eyes and nodded as her husband pulled her close.

"I believe it is time I left. I shall return should I hear anything else of importance." He stood to leave and as the couple watched him walk away, he turned back to them.

"Tempest was always a strong willed child. She wont go down without a fight. Have faith in your daughter and her new friends, for they are the future of our world and I believe they will succeed."

With a nod from the couple, he left to go eavesdrop some more and gather what information he could.


	14. Information, Plannning, Training Pt1

Buckle up, kids. We have a two parter. It's looking like I wont be able to get a new computer until around Christmas time or so. Gotta budget and save a bit. I apologize please bare with me as I work around my current one and it's issues.

All Around Me Ch. 14

Information, Planning, Training, and Blood Pt. 1

Draco and the others were knelt down around the coffee table in the living room, all of them staring down at the innocuous looking box that he and Harry had arrived with not long ago. They had burst into the house, excitedly telling of their escape from Bellatrix and their recovery of the box. Hermione had immediately shushed them, indicating that Tempy was asleep as Draco had left her. They had sheepishly nodded and motioned for them to go into the living room where they now pondered the boxes contents.

"Well? You going to open it?" Ron asked after a minute too long of silence.

Eyes were on Draco as he reached out and inspected the box. There was no keyhole or latch, no obvious way to open it. Not even a seem to suggest a lid.

"I would if I bloody well knew how to." He muttered, running his finders along the smooth metal, looking for anything that could count as an opening.

"What did he say in his message? He gave you a location and instructions, I thought." Hermione commented, taking the box and inspecting it herself.

Draco leaned back against the couch in thought, trying to remember the full message Snapes patronus had delivered the previous night.

"He said, '_Remember where I first saved your life and the price to obtain that which not all should see'." _He reached out and took the box back from Hermione and looked at it a bit more closely. He ran his nails around the middle of its sides until his nail caught on the slightest indent, invisible to the eyes. He felt around and found the indent formed a circle. Figuring that was with switch, he pressed down firmly with his thumb only to pull his hand back quickly with a surprised cry of pain.

"Bloody thing stuck me!" He exclaimed, examining his now bleeding digit.

"Of course! The price to be paid! Tempy had a lock box that had a pin on it! She pressed her thumb down on it and it opened with her blood!" Hermione said excitedly.

Draco watched as the tiny pinprick of red on the box seeped out and formed a seem along the box. With an audible click, the box popped open, revealing a few scrolls and vials with swirling liquid, presumably memories.

"Yeah, that worked. Feel a bit like an idiot now."

Ron choked on a laugh and received a glare in return before Draco reached into the box and started pulling things out of it. He sorted the scrolls to one side and the vials to another, noticing there were a few potions in with the memories.

"Do you know what those are?" Harry asked.

Draco shrugged, "They look like healing potions, strong ones, but Severus was known to make his own unique potions so I could very well be mistaken. Hopefully he has explained them in the memories or scrolls."

"Should we wait for Tempy? I mean, we're all in this together, may be best to wait until shes awake so she can see for herself." Harry suggested.

There were nods of agreement, however reluctant.

"She went to sleep not long before we left, yeah? I think I'll go check on her."

"No need, love. I'm awake."

Heads turned at the sound of her voice to find her standing in the doorway. Draco jumped up and was by her side in an instant.

"Sweet, should you be awake? You still look a bit pale."

She waved him off, "Please, I'm fine. If I had made all five I'd need the sleep but I'm ok. Now, what's all in the box, hm?"

With a face that clearly said he didn't like this, Draco lead her to sit on the couch and showed her what Snape had sent.

"Alright, should we watch the memories first or look through the scrolls?" She asked.

"Scrolls!" Ron shouted. When they all looked at him he simply shrugged, "I'm in no hurry to dive into more memories. Last time was mental."

"Oooook." Hermione said slowly. "While I share that sentiment, I don't care much which we do first."

"Right then, lets see what these scrolls say, yeah?" Harry said, looking to Draco and Tempy, who only gave a short nod of assent.

There were several scrolls and they each took one or so the look over.

"Guys! He sent sent us pictures of what the cup and diadem look like!" Harry grinned and passed them around. When they got to Draco he froze.

"Draco?" Tempy asked, concerned.

"I've seen this, the diadem." He whispered.

"What?"

"Where?"

"Are you sure?"

The trio all questioned at once, throwing him off a bit. He looked up at everyone with a very uncomfortable expression.

"In the room of lost things… sixth year.." He trailed off, memories of his time there coming to the surface.

An awkward silence fell over the group as they too remembered his reasoning for being there. A cough from Harry broke it.

"Well, we know one is in Hogwarts. Maybe the cup will be easier?" He questioned. There were murmurs as they returned to the other scrolls, tucking away the diadems location for future evaluation.

Hermiones brow furrowed as she read through the scrolls she had.

"Draco, did you know you were your aunts heir?" She asked as she held out the scroll for him to take.

"No." He said, confused. "Least not anymore. I know before she went to Azkaban she had named me her heir but had figured she changed it. She didn't think highly of me once she met me after."

"Well, honestly, when could she have changed it?" She responded a bit exasperated. "She was a wanted criminal until recently. She couldn't just walk into Gringotts and request a change, now could she? With her searching for you, I doubt changing her will has been a high priority."

"Point taken." He mumbled as he read, something catching his eye. "Hermione? Read this bit for me and tell me what it means to you." He handed the papers back, pointing to one section.

"Lets see, '_In the event of a criminal conviction or incarceration, the named heir shall receive full rights and inheritances and will be able to access these upon their maturity."_ She read aloud, her voice trailing off in thought. "I suppose it means that since Bellatrix was in Azkaban, that you have control of her vaults and assets."

"Thats interesting and all but how does that help us?" Ron asked. "And with the way things are, would the goblins even allow him in?"

"Thats a good point. I know the goblins tend to stay out of wizarding affairs but Draco is wanted."

"You're right, Harry, they do tend to stay out of wizard affairs but Gringotts is goblin soil. If they want to help me they would or they would tell me to bugger off and another wizard could see me and turn me in. With Bellatrix being an officially convicted criminal, according to this, her accounts were frozen and held for me. They have more to gain by working with me, an unofficially wanted wizard, than her. Bit of a gray area with them, really."

"Alright, again, how does this help us?"

"I don't know but it's interesting to know either way." Draco responded, setting the scroll aside for now, picking up the scroll he had originally picked up.

"This will probably be more useful, Ron." He said, turning the scroll to the others. "It's a list of locations for Deatheater hangouts and meetings I was not privy to. We can try to avoid them when we leave here."

"Brilliant!" Ron said with a smile. He looked down at the scroll he had and grimaced a bit. "I feel like I'm back in class. It's potion recipes."

They all looked over the recipes and quickly concluded that they were the potions in the other vials. Draco had been correct on both accounts, they were healing potions but of Snapes own making. Different types catered to different degrees of injury and type.

Tempy looked down at the scroll she held, the last one, and began to read. She quickly drew it to Dracos attention, as it was a letter addressed to him. He took it from her and quickly read through it. He sat staring at it for a bit before Tempy lightly bumped him with her shoulder.

"Well, love? What does it say?" She asked, a bit of a laugh in her voice.

"Sorry." He said before clearing his throat to read it to them.

"_Draco,_

_Seeing as how only your blood or mine could open this box, I presume that it is you reading this. I only hope that you were able to open it safely as to not expose the secrets held within. _

_I have enclosed certain documents and pictures that will be relevant to yours and Potters mission, as I am quite sure you have found yourself in their company. Where there is unexplained difficulty, he tends to be. (_Harry let out an indignant 'Hey!' before being shushed by Hermione.)_Some of these will make more sense when combined with the memories I have sent. _

_I trust that you and Granger can adequately follow the potion recipes I sent. I do not know whether or not you are in a place where you can brew or if you even have the necessary ingredients, so I have also enclosed several already made potions for your use. _

_Bellatrix is hell bent on finding you. She has tortured numerous snatchers and broken into my home searching for you or information on your whereabouts. I hope wherever you are on the water has powerful enough wards. She won't sit at the coast forever, she will find a way to search for you there as well. I know not of a way to counter her spell work but will try and discreetly find information if I can. As far as I am aware, killing her is the only viable option. The Dark Lord himself may unknowingly help you in that regard. I happened to overhear him imply that if he saw her again without either you or Potter he would kill her. Regardless, take caution when you leave your sanctuary._

_If you need information or need to get me a message for whatever reason and feel it is worth the risk, return this box to where you found it with the message within it. I will feel its presence and respond when it is safe._

_Be safe_

_Severus"_

He carefully rolled the scroll back up and held it to his chest, deep in thought. The issue with Bellatrix weighed on him. It was true that the wards were strong but she was tenacious. Like a dog with a bone she would chew, claw, and shred until it broke to her whims. How long could he stay here and they remain safe?

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Tempy looking at him with concern. He grabbed her hand and kissed it lightly.

"We need to figure out our next moves. I can't be a beacon for her to the rest of you."

"We will find a way, Draco, but don't imply that we're safer without you." She answered sternly.

He sighed in disagreement but remained silent and turned to the others who were giving them understanding but worried looks. They too wondered just how long it would be before Bellatrix found the wards and tried to dismantle them.

"Well, I guess it's time for the memories. Sorry, Ron." He said.

Ron groaned as Tempy summoned her pensive and set it on the table. She carefully picked up the first of the two vials and poured in the memory.

"Well? Shall we dive in then?" She asked. As one they leaned forward and found themselves in a dark room, lit only by the fire place.

They looked around, trying to figure out where they were when they heard a spine chilling hiss.

Voldemort sat in a chair by the fire, Nagini at his feet. It seemed like they were having a discussion.

"Harry, can you figure out what they're talking about?" Draco asked, looking around for where Snape was.

He slowly nodded, glancing at Tempy for a second before locking onto the two. "They're discussing his Horocruxes. He hasn't been able to find the diary that he gave your dad to hold onto. He's not happy and is wondering if he should check on the others."

That thought had them all uneasy. If he knew some were missing he could possibly move the others they had yet to obtain and he would know they were hunting them.

"Wait, he's dismissing the idea." He paused as there was more hissing and Voldemort laughed. "Sorry, Draco, he says your father was a failure and probably misplaced it in a vault or somewhere in the manor. Arrogant sod, innit he?"

Dracos jaw was tight but he held his tongue. Despite all the man had done, he was still his father and felt a need to defend him, even if the man didn't deserve it.

"Where the bloody hell is Snape?" Ron asked, looking around.

"Really, Ron? He's a spy. I'm sure he wasn't meant to witness this and he's hiding somewhere, you know, spying." Hermione hissed.

"Merlin, woman, I was just asking." He mumbled, looking around.

"Are they saying anything else, Harry?" Tempy asked.

His attention had strayed from the conversation at Rons outburst. Knowing Tempy could translate but that no one else knew that, he quickly got back to them.

"Nothing of interest. He asking her who she wants to eat." He shivered at the thought. "I think Snape might have sent this because of the Parseltongue."

"Possibly." Draco said. "Maybe something happened beforehand to make him think this would be important. Either way, even if he does believe my father to be a failure, it shows hes thinking about his Horocruxes and we need to hurry up with getting them."

There was agreement as the memory faded and they emerged from the pensive.

Rons face looked a bit queasy as he picked up the second vial and looked at it.

"I swear I never want to go running about someones memories again."

Tempy rolled her eyes and took the vial and poured it in and once again they all dove in. This one Draco recognized immediately as the place where his parents were murdered, complete with the maniac sitting in his self appointed throne. His chest tightened and he began to panic. His breathing was shallow as he was thrust back to that night.

Tempy, at the first sign of panic, had him in her arms sitting on the ground and was soothing him, motioning for the others to watch as she took care of him, knowing they couldn't leave and they couldn't pause the memory.

'Shhh, Draco, I'm here. Breathe with me, come on I've got you. Breathe with me." She whispered softly, running her fingers through his hair.

Slowly he was coming back to himself, grounding himself in her voice and matching his breathing to hers. He took in her scent and the tone of her voice and the lifeless images of his father and mother faded away. He carefully opened his eyes, the room still there but not as threatening as it was before. It was just a memory, he wasn't in danger, they were here for information.

With a deep shuddered breath he sat up and shook his head before looking up at Tempy, an apology on his tongue.

She smiled and assured him that all was fine before helping him to stand to join the others.

"You alright, mate?" Harry whispered.

"I will be. Sorry 'bout that."

Harry waved it off as they watched the scene playing out, Snape was sitting beside Voldemort, discussing things about Hogwarts and the going ons there.

"What have we missed?" Tempy asked.

"Snapes been giving reports on the school. Says a number of students have been missing, assumed to have fled." Hermione answered, worry in her voice.

"Hey, I'm sure they're ok." Tempy tried to assure her.

Their attention was drawn back to Snape as Voldemort changed his questioning.

"Severus, what is your opinion on dear Bella?" He asked in that hissing tone.

Severus kept his face passive as he answered, "My Lord, I have not seen much of her as of late, as I assume she is still searching for young Mr. Malfoy."

"That she is. Foolish woman, letting him get away. Know that I am merciful, Severus, for I could have killed her along with her husband. Have you ever heard of someone just fading away like she described? I certainly have not and I know all."

"Arrogant prick." Ron muttered.

"No, my Lord, I have never heard of such a thing save for perhaps something a ghost would do. However, I doubt Mr. Malfoy was a ghost at the time of his sudden disappearance."

Voldemort nodded, thinking.

"I had hoped she would remain useful. It would seem her usefulness is coming to an end. I had entrusted a prized possession to her to keep in her vaults. I wonder if I should move it?"

The quintet froze at that, knowing this is what Snape had wanted them to hear.

"My Lord, I am just your humble servant but may I offer my advice?"

This was dangerous ground, as it could be seen as questioning his judgment but Voldemort only waved his hand for him to continue.

"We are here to serve you, so use her for her vaults protection until she has completely outlived her usefulness. Gringotts is a hassle on a good day. If you decide her time has come, have her remove the item and when she brings it to you, simply end her there. Shes incredibly desperate for your approval, I doubt she would question you sending her on such a task."

The air hung in suspension for a moment before Voldemort let out a pleased laugh.

"Ah, Severus, my most faithful and trusted. I can always count on you for a laugh. She is rather desperate, isn't she? If there is one thing I can say about Bella, its that she is obsessively devoted to me. A wonderful quality in a follower, but it can easily lead them to an easy death should they fail me." he paused as he mulled over Snapes input, "Very well. I will leave it be. Just as well as I don't currently have another place to put it. You may go now, Severus. I shall send more Deatheaters to the school to help aid in the search for the missing students and make the snatchers aware that we may have some runaway children."

With that, the memory faded and they were back in Tempys living room. They sat their processing all they had seen when Draco shot up out of his seat.

"Of course!" He shouted, excitedly.

"What are you on about?" Ron asked as he watched him pace around behind the couch.

"Don't you see?" He leaned down resting his hands on the couches back. "Voldemort places a valuable possession in Bellatrixs vault? A vault she can not currently access but I can? Snape was trying to tell us the bastard hid a Horocrux in there. We have one!"

"Draco," Hermione started, looking unsure, "You can't just walk into Gringotts. We discussed this earlier, its a grey area. If you show up and they decide not to work with you and you're seen, it can tip him off that we know."

He growled, "There's gotta be a way! It's right there, in our grasp!"

"What about polyjuice? Or a glamour? You would just need one long enough to request to speak to a goblin and explain the situation, right?" Tempy asked.

Draco grimaced, "They really don't like disguises but we might be able to talk them around it in this case, seeing as I'm not trying to get into a vault that I'm not authorized to be in. It will come off once we go down to the vaults, however. They have measures in place to reveal impostors."

"We need to find something for the trace before you leave the wards again, Draco." Harry said, remembering their encounter with Bellatrix.

Draco hung his head and sighed. The damn trace.

Tempy stood and walked over to her bookcase, pulling out the Grimoire, before turning to face the group.

"Alright then. We don't have a lot of time to work with so here's what I propose. The four of you need to practice your elements, I will research through my family Grimoire and my fathers notes. We prepare as best we can; prepare for battle, prepare to travel, brew potions, plan as best we can. I liked Rons idea of attaching Dracos magical signature to random items and scattering them about. I'll see how strong we can actually make that. We also have to assume that this place wont be secure indefinitely. I know before we came here my father had other properties. I'll see if I can find information on them and if there are others we could use. Beyond that, theres not much else we can do."

Harry fell back against the couch, sighing in exasperation.

"I hate this. We need to be out there, finding these things, but I get it." He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, coming to rest on his scar. "We can't forget about this either. I'm still not afraid to die to have to beat him, but I'd like to see what you guys have on this."

Tempy nodded solemnly, "We haven't forgotten, Harry. Don't worry, we will figure this out."

"Ok, so the list is this; Figure out how to get around Dracos trace, assuming we do that we plan a way to get the goblins to listen to him and get the cup, get rid of the Horocrux in Harrys head without killing him, train our elements enough to be useful, find another base if possible, somehow get into Hogwarts and get the diadem, destroy both before ultimately facing old snake face and his slimy familiar Horocrux. Shouldn't be too hard, yeah?" Ron listed, a mix of sarcasm and seriousness.

Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes but nodded her head regardless. Day by day defeating the Dark Lord grew more and more complicated.

"I know none of this will be easy, but we have to try." Draco spoke softly, his body sagging in weariness.

There was unspoken agreement as Tempy gave them instructions on what they should practice with first before going to make tea and food for them. She knew somewhere in her Grimoire there had to be answers that could help them.

Her family came from a very dark line, their spells enough to rival the Blacks, and she just knew if she researched enough there would be something. They could use the dark to aid the light. It was almost a poetic stab at the ancestors that would be appalled at her existence. With that thought, she made to complete her task before starting on her reading.

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Bellatrix stared out over the water, trying to determine her next move. She knew the trace kept leading her out here because somehow her nephew was out on the water. She knew it was the water, as she had apparated across to the continent and had gotten the same result, a blurred picture of the trace at the coastline.

He was hiding somewhere out on the water but with no place to apparate to, she couldn't just pop in. The trace led her no where specific on the water so without that clear picture, she had no way.

The channel itself was vast, 560 km long and ranged from 240 km to 33.3 km across, with unpredictable weather and not easily searched. She had the feeling that if she did she would still come across nothing but blurred magic and no specific location.

With a growl she made up her mind. No matter how long it took, she would search it until she found what was obscuring the trace and break it down. Her eyes lit up at that thought, as she realized what was possibly hiding him. She hadn't given it much thought before, believing her nephew too weak to accomplish such a thing. Someone was hiding him, and likely Potter as well, behind a blood ward.

With that in mind, she only needed to find the magic of the ward and break it down. No matter the small voice of reason, long ago reduced to less than a whisper, telling her that a blood ward that strong wouldn't be easily broken down. Plan in hand, she apparated away. She would need a new broom if she was to properly search.

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Neville Longbottom was always underestimated in his younger years. In truth, he had believed himself to be the weakest of his friends, not much use. After being part of the DA and their battle in the Department of Mysteries, however, he had found some inner strength. When Harry, Hermione, and Ron had not returned for their seventh year, he knew they were off fighting the good fight out there. So he stepped up and fought the fight within the hallowed walls of Hogwarts.

He and the others who wanted to fight the new regime had taken up residence in the Room of Requirement. They spent their days sabotaging the Deatheaters lessons, saving who they could from their punishments, recruiting more to come and seek sanctuary in the Room, scavenging food from the kitchens, really anything they could to survive and make life hard on their oppressors.

Thats what he had been doing on this run anyway, gathering food and supplies in his bottomless bag, a charm he had learned from Hermione the previous year, when he had almost been caught. There were new Deatheaters roaming the halls in a new schedule that he had almost failed to avoid.

He stood, disillusioned, in a recess in the wall behind a tapestry, his hand over his mouth to silence the sound of his gasping breaths. The voices of the Deatheaters floated in the air around him, looking for him. His body tensed when he heard the Carrows join in.

"I know I saw the Longbottom brat! He disappeared like a bloody ghost!" One of the new recruits reported.

His cries of pain echoed around the hall as one of the siblings _Crucioed_ him for his effort.

"The boy obviously isn't a damned ghost, you fool. You lost him." Alecto hissed, her anger oozing with each syllable.

"I don't know why our Lord bothered to send such incompetent welps." Amycus said, his voice bored.

"I know our Lord would be interested to hear your complaints about his decisions, Alecto, Amycus.

Neville chanced a peak past the tapestry and could see the twins faces grow white before they turned to face Snape.

"We would never question our Lord! We were merely admonishing the performance of a lower ranked Deatheater!" Alecto defended.

"None-the-less, our Lord sent them thus your statement undermines His decision." Snapes voice was sharp and to the point. They knew if he mentioned what was said that they would be punished.

"Headmaster..."

"I don't need nor do I want your excuses. Leave here, all of you, and find the Longbottom brat, if that was indeed you who were chasing, and bring him to me for punishment. He and the others have been missing for far too long and our Lord is quite displeased with the lack of progress. I doubt I need to explain what that means should he lose his patience."

They all shook their heads and took off down the hall to search in other locations. Snape watched until they were all out of sight before he let his body sag, feeling much older than his 38 years. Pulling himself back up straight he walked over to the recess and pulled back the tapestry.

Neville jumped in shock and accidentally dropped the spell keeping him hidden. For a moment he and Snape locked eyes, unmoving. When he reached for his wand, Snape grabbed his wrist and leaned in close.

"That was close, Mr. Longbottom. Don't let your previous success make you complacent." He quickly glanced around him before leaning back in. "There are more Deatheaters now, more than who you just escaped from. You and the others must heed caution to not be seen." With that, he leaned back and cast a stronger disillusion spell on him and began to walk away.

"Sir!" Neville whispered but in a way like he wanted to shout. Snape stopped in his tracks but did not turn around.

"I don't understand, Sir. You've helped me before, and now you're helping me avoid getting caught. I don't understand."

He never turned around, but Neville could almost see the mask slip as he replied, "Things are rarely what they seem on the surface, Mr. Longbottom. Do well to remember that and stay hidden. Potter and the others are working to end this. We just need to hang on until the time is right. Goodnight." He walked away briskly after that, fearing the amount of time he had spent there.

Neville watched as he walked away, holding his bag tight and lost in confusion. He slowly turned and made his way down the corridor, carefully, and soon found his way back to the Room. He quickly entered and Ginny relieved him of his bag.

"You were gone longer, were you found?" She asked, apprehensively.

He shrugged as he sat down on his makeshift bed, "Almost, but I was able to hide. I overheard them talking, they have a whole new regiment of Deatheaters. Its going to be even harder to move around now." He told her part of the truth. He could barely grasp that Snape had helped him and knew she would fire off about him being a traitor and no good could come from him. So he kept that part to himself.

He laid down as she was talking about how they could change their tactics to avoid them but his mind was elsewhere, thinking of Harry and the others. Snape had said they were working to end this and he knew in his heart it was true as he had the same thought since returning in September. He could only hope they were successful and that the end was coming soon. A smack to his arm brought him back to the conversation at hand and thoughts of Harry and Snape left his mind for the time being.

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Lord Voldemort stood in the former Malfoy seniors study, staring out the window into the night, His beloved Nagini lay coiled up beside the fire.

His plans to take over the wizarding world were progressing nicely but the search for both the Potter and Malfoy brats had not born fruit. Bellatrix had not been seen by anyone but he knew she wasn't foolish enough to run nor would she desire to. She was just taking too long. He knew the next time he saw her would be the last unless she had one of them with her. Even then, her previous failures were enough for him to be done with the wretched woman.

He twirled the wand he held between his fingers, it power radiating from it yet not fully connected to him as a wand should be when it recognized its Master. This was another problem that troubled him. His thoughts often trailed to how he had retrieved it. It had been him who pulled it from Dumbledores dead hands but it was not he who disarmed and killed the annoying old coot.

He had wondered if perhaps the wand aligned itself to Severus as he was the one to kill him. It was so hard to find good help these days, as many of his Deatheaters had recently proven, that he was reluctant to believe that for now. However, if it came to it, he would do what he always had, remove the obstacle from his way. After all, Severus had said it himself, he was just humble servant. Once his usefulness was over, he was disposable.

He drained his tea and hissed to Nagini, who uncoiled and slithered over to her Master. She coiled herself around his body and they left the study to bed, the problems plaguing his mind momentarily at rest.


	15. Information, Plannning, Training Pt2

Adult content ahead. Similar to last time.

All Around Me Ch. 15

Information, Planning, Training, and Blood Pt. 2

It had been seven days since they had opened the box and set forth in their plans. Seven days spent practicing for hours with their elements and Occlumency. Seven days of reading and researching through mountains of books and scrolls. Seven days of falling into exhausted sleep and waking up to start it all over again.

Tempy was currently sat in her cellar, not having been able to sleep as the others slumbered away. She had found some possible ways to use her blood, and the blood of willing participants, to help act as a camouflage for Draco. It wouldn't eliminate the trace but it would act like the blood wards for the island did, making the trace fuzzy and hard to pinpoint him. It involved a ritual and she planned on bringing it up to the others. Actually performing the ritual though, she wanted to wait until they had a new base if they could. Its was possible to use the island as a decoy, apparating within the wards thus once they got to the new place there would be no clear trace for Bellatrix to reorient her search.

She sighed deeply as she read through a set of scrolls she had found in another lock box in the shed as potions bubbled and simmered beside her. In addition to research, she had taken up brewing Snapes potions along with some of her own, wanting to be prepared for whatever may come. She had five satchels enchanted by Hermione to be bottomless that she was slowly filling with supplies.

She had been reading through the scrolls as her exhaustion caught up with her. Her eyes fluttered closed for a mere moment, causing her to lose sight of a potion beginning to boil over. She bolted upright with a hiss of pain as the scalding contents spilled over and hit her arm. She cursed as she quickly grabbed the scrolls from the table and made to turn the heat down on the potion.

While cleaning up the mess, something on one of the scrolls caught her eye. She cleared the liquid from its surface and read it quickly, letting out an excited whoop as she finished. She had found the deed to one of her fathers properties. According to the scroll, it was located somewhere in the northern most area of Britain. She wished she had a picture so perhaps she could apparate and check it out. For now, it seemed she would have to do a little more research before she could make a trip there. As she went to put the scroll to the side, her finger slipped along its edge and it cut her.

She hissed and brought the finger to her mouth, lightly sucking on it and tasting blood. She groaned, paper cuts were the worst. Returning to her task, she realized the paper was now glowing.

Looking to her bleeding finger and back to the paper she wondered if her blood had activated any dormant spells. In a previously blank spot on the paper, a picture was now clearly visible of a large manor. She reached out to touch the picture and a rush of images filled her minds eye. She saw the manor, the surrounding lands and even the rooms within. When the transfer was complete, she pulled away with a gasp, feeling like she had been there and knew the layout like the back of her own hand without having ever set foot there.

With this new knowledge she knew she had what she needed to be able to apparate. She looked up the steps toward where she knew the others were sleeping, partially from exhaustion and partially from the sleeping draught they had all been taking that she had forgotten, having wanted to stay up a little longer to read more and promising she would take it when she was done. She briefly thought of waking at least Draco but quickly decided against it. While she had just been doing research they had been pushing their magic and their bodies to their limits, gaining more control and power with their elements.

Draco and Ron had started out with the papers, controlling the tiny flame before they eventually grew to practicing lighting bonfires and making the flames blaze and dance to their whims. It would quickly turn into who could make it bigger and wilder, who could control its fury. There had been times when Hermione had to jump in and douse their flames with her water, but none could deny that the two had come a long way. Hermione herself had gained a fair bit of control as well.

Her practice involved sitting on the cliffs and working with the waves. She had started out with water in the cup, then moved on to the bath, before moving outside to the spring then the waves. She couldn't quite tame the strength behind the waves that battered the islands shore, but she could move with them and in turn somewhat control where and when they hit, but they always made it to shore. Outside of the waves, she could conjure and form water around her and she took great delight in sending large balls of water at her friends.

Harry had made great strides with his element. Within a few days he could float a few spinning pinwheels around himself. Once he moved outside, he took to the air like he did on his Firebolt, a natural. He could change the direction the wind blew fairly easily, blowing the others over with childish glee. That morning he had begun using the wind to make himself hover, trying to get the same flying affect without a broom. He had mentioned that the Dark Lord could fly unassisted and he insisted it was what he wanted to be able to do as well.

She knew the four sleeping teenagers upstairs had planned on trying to use their powers in combinations the following day and did not wish to disturb the rest they sorely needed to accomplish this task. With one last look at the stairs, she quickly jotted down a note and left it on the table, putting her potions under a stasis charm. Grabbing the deed, she closed her eyes and apparated away.

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Draco woke with a shout, his breathing heavy and searching the empty bed beside him. His panic grew as he realized Tempy was truly not there. He flew from the bed, dressed in only his pyjama pants, and ran out the door and down the stairs. He called Tempys name but received silence in return. He caused enough ruckus that it woke Harry and he had come running, wand drawn.

"The bloody hell is going on, Draco?" He asked, his senses on high alert.

"I cant find her. I woke from a nightmare and she wasn't there and I can't find her." He said in a hurry, running towards the stairs that led down to the cellar.

"Mate, calm down, I'm sure shes fine. She wanted to read a bit more, remember?" He tried to reason with the frantic blonde.

Draco threw open the door to the cellar and descended the steps yelling back his response.

"The bond is strained. Somethings happened!"

Harry cursed and ran down the stairs after him only to find him standing at the table Tempy used for research and brewing, holding a letter in his hand. He stepped back when Draco growled and the paper burst into flames.

"What in the..." He started before Draco turned and started pacing.

"She found the bloody deed and thought it would be a good idea to go check it out alone!" He shouted as the temperature around them rose.

"Alright, mate, you need to calm down before you burn the place down." Harry shouted.

Draco turned to him and looked around the room before breathing in deep and out slow.

"She knows better than to run off alone, Potter." He growled.

Harry rolled his eyes, recognizing the mood he was in. When Tempy returned, he imagined the bond would flare up and it would be like last time. He made a mental note to grab Ron and Hermione when she arrived so they wouldn't be in the crossfire.

"Come on, Malfoy. I don't see either of us going back to sleep now. Lets go outside and you can put your fire against my wind and lets see what we can conjure up."

With a curt and tense nod, they made their way upstairs, Draco filled with anger and worry and Harry just hoping they didn't bring the place down with them.

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Tempy felt the moment Draco woke and silently cursed her luck. She was quickly regretting not waking him but didn't immediately return, knowing no matter when she returned they would have a bit of a row and need each others reassurance. She was standing at the gates to her fathers manor and was about to place her hand on the plate to attempt entry. The wards felt familiar to the ones on the island and she could only hope that they would allow her to add her own blood and strengthen them to their current state or better.

She winced as she lowered her hand onto the plate and a blade slid up and sliced her palm open, the blood flowing to cover it completely. It glowed and the gates clicked open, accepting her offering and allowing her entry. She pulled back her hand, whispering a healing charm, then stepped past the threshold.

She looked up the walkway, the manor looming high and dark, abandoned. Knowing Draco was awake and probably swinging between anger and panic, she looked away and searched for the wards anchor, deciding to get that settled so maybe they could begin moving things over sooner rather than later.

Just beside the entrance arch, the stood a black obelisk and she felt the power of generations of blood emanating from it. That alone showed her the wards here would be just as powerful if not more so than what was on her island. Once she added her own blood, the properties magic would recognize her as its Mistress and would respond to her and those she deemed worthy.

Once again she held out her hand as an offering, pulsing her magic in as well, slicing it against the sharp edge of the obelisk. It pulsed a deep purple light within it, growing in intensity the more blood it absorbed.

There was a bright flash of light and she was blown backwards, landing hard a few feet away from the now dark obelisk. She felt a new magic settle into her and knew she was successful. She pulled the deed out from her bag and looked down at the signature line. In her blood was her name as owner to the property. She smiled, sending a wave of her magic in acknowledgment of her ownership. The property seemed to brighten at that alone. With that done, she exited the gate and apparated back to the island, excited to share the news with the others.

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Draco and Harry were both panting and sweating. They had gone outside and immediately had set on each other, not sure if they were trying to combine elements or trying to defeat each other. Either way, they had been going at it hard enough to rouse Hermione and Ron from their slumber. The morning sun was just peaking over the horizon, the sky a blend of purples and pinks as Harry was shouting to them what had happened, not stopping his assault on Draco. There were a few times the flames and bellowing winds had clashed and somehow produced lightening in magnificent and horrifying bolts. Yet they still didn't stop.

They didn't stop until Draco froze, his fire vanishing. Harry halted and followed his line of sight and saw Tempy had just appeared on the edge of their fighting area. She looked shocked and a bit guilty as she carefully stepped towards them. Draco had not made a move to get near her but both their gazes were locked on each other.

Carefully she held out a scroll and motioned for Harry to come take it from her, which he did with trepidation, not wanting to trigger a response from Draco. He could see in both of them the bond was flared and agitated and once he had the scroll he motioned for Ron and Hermione, who had gone from admiring spectators to nervous ones, to go into the house and he followed.

Once the door had shut, Draco let out a growl, breaking his stance and walking quickly toward Tempy with purpose.

"Do you know how worried I was when I couldn't find you?" He asked as he looked her over, "How angry I was when I found out you had left alone? Its dangerous out there! No one goes anywhere alone. We agreed on that!" His voice wavered as he found her bloodied hand. "What is this? What happened!?"

Tempy pulled the hand away and quickly healed it, vanishing away the blood.

"I found the deed in the middle of the night. I got over excited and wanted to check on the wards straight away but did not want to wake any of you as I knew you were all exhausted and had big plans for the day. I'm sorry I scared you but nothing happened. The blood is from me setting the wards to myself. They're stronger than the ones here, Draco. We'll be safe there."

Draco listened to her words, the anger slowly leaving but replaced with pain. Now that the anger was gone the pain of the bond being agitated by his panic was in the forefront of his mind and he let out a slight whimper as he pulled her into a tight embrace, his skin growing heated.

She wrapped her arms around him and quickly apparated them away from the house to their clearing, laying them down in the morning shade of the old tree.

Draco sat up quickly, Tempy straddling his lap, and captured her lips with his, rough and needy. His fingers threaded through her hair as she kissed him back in equal ferocity, grinding her hips down against him and dragging her nails down his bare back.

He growled into the kiss as he felt himself harden. The bond thrummed between them with happiness and want. He trailed his kisses along her jaw to her neck and bit the flesh there, causing her to cry out. The hand on her hip slide up her side, pushing her shirt up to expose her breasts. Their breathing came in quick pants and moans as their hands caressed bare skin, his fingers roughly rolling a nipple between them.

She whimpered as she moved faster against him, her aching bud stimulated against his caged erection. His teeth held her neck tighter as he suckled the reddening skin before letting go and leaning down to replace his fingers, suckling more gently than her neck but still frantic and rough.

She threw her head back as the magic around them began to twist and thread together, his fiery and wild with hers steady and tranquil. Flames began to materialize around them, soothingly caressing their skin while the tree branches and vines converged around them, forming a dome of sorts as if to shield them away from the world.

He thrust up against her hard as he brought his lips back to hers, the hand in her hair squeezing tightly and holding her as close as he could. In their little dome they could feel their magic building up, stronger and stronger ready to burst forth. They thrust against each other, their kisses rough enough to bruise, finger tips and nails leaving marks behind on pale skin, raceing towards their completion.

Just as the wave broke over them, Draco broke the kiss and opened his eyes, watching her face turn confused for just a moment before she was swept away and he shouted her name, following her into that sweet abyss. Their magic exploded around them, tearing the dome around them apart and sending a wave of its own in every direction, strong enough unbeknownst to them that the trio would feel it back at the house.

Gasping for air, he pulled her down to lay beside him as they recovered. He held her tight, whispering to her, begging her not to go anywhere alone again, that he didn't know what he would do if anything happened to her. Tempy, to her credit, regretted not waking him and felt immensely guilty for the panic she had caused in him and being part of making the bond feel threatened to him. She hugged him back, promising to do her best to not leave him like that again, that she would always be there for him, that she loved him.

Time seemed to still around them as she realized what she had said and he took it in.

It was the first time he had heard her say it, but he had known it for a while. Being soul bonded didn't mean that the bonded parties had to love each other though it was rare they didn't end up that way. He had known he would fall for her early on and he had fallen hard. He kissed her forehead, whispering that he loved her as well, continuing to hold her as she relaxed into his arms and the dawn fully broke above them.

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Back at the house, Harry was preparing breakfast as Ron and Hermione asked him to better explain what all had happened while they slept. He had just finished explaining when the wave of energy had hit them. Harry stumbled, almost dropping the pan of bacon, while Hermione and Ron gasped.

"Bloody hell was that?" Ron asked.

"You don't recognize the magic?" Hermione responded, remembering the last time the bond had needed assurance and a wave of magic had gone through the house.

"Oh, I bloody well know it, but what the hell is it doing hitting us like that?"

Harry had righted himself and set the pan down on the counter before turning back to his friends. "I'd say they reassured the bond. Wasn't that strong last time though."

"No, it wasn't. Merlin, they need to complete that bond. I don't want to be around if they have to do this again."

"Ron, you just said they need to shag."

"Shut up, Harry! You know what I meant."

"I suppose they should be back soon." Hermione interrupted with an eye roll. "Then we can discuss this scroll." She picked up the scroll in question, reading that it was a deed and noticing the signature at the bottom. "I think it's safe to say she found another place for us to stay."

"That's more or less what the note had said. Her name is on it, yeah?"

"I presume so, her signature isn't exactly legible. I can see the 'T' but I am unsure as to the rest of it."

"Sorry, Hermione. The messy signature runs in the family."

Three heads turned to find Tempy and Draco standing in the doorway, looking disheveled scratched up.

There was an awkward silence before Harry coughed and offered them breakfast, which they happily accepted.

They all sat eating and making small talk before Tempy set down her silverware and gathered their attention.

"I apologize for disappearing like that in the middle of the night. I should have woken someone but I was too eager to scope out the property. Good news is, the magics recognized me as its owner and I offered up my blood to the wards so we now have another heavily warded location we can use. With the generations of blood behind it I would suggest we move there. I also found a ritual I would like to do to help mask the trace on Draco but only after we move. If we move him from here to there, there wont be a clear trace for Bellatrix to pick up on and we can keep up a blurred trace. Again, I'm sorry for the trouble I caused but hey, we have a new base!" She smiled, waiting for their reaction.

Draco sighed and hung his head, secure in the bond now, but still a bit annoyed she had run off in the middle of the night. The others nodded in understanding of both parties.

"Just don't go running off again, Tempy. These two looked like they were ready to blow everything away." Ron commented, gesturing towards Harry and Draco.

"I saw! I was amazed with how well they worked with and against each other. Do you think..." Before she could finish asking her question a huge blast rocked the house.

The five were on their feet with wands drawn, fighting against the shaking of the house. Tempy closed her eyes and checked the wards to find them under attack. The magic trying to worm its way through felt slimy and deadly. She knew in an instant who it was and suspect the others did too,

"Bellatrix."

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Bellatrix had been flying over the channel on and off in different patterns for the better part of a week. She stubbornly refused to quit, knowing he was out here somewhere. To her dismay the whole damn channel seemed to glow but she knew she couldn't rely on that. She was searching for spots that held a great deal of magic, blood wards that could be hiding her dear nephew. She had found various small islands but nothing with the magical signature she knew would be needed to hide him.

She had been flying early in the morning when she felt it, a large blast of magical energies, with one she instantly recognized. The unfamiliar one didn't matter to her, she would cut through them with ease as long as it meant getting her nephew. She quickly flew in the direction it had come from, knowing she was closer than she had been all week.

It took a bit of time but she soon spotted a slight shimmer above the water, an indication that there were wards in place. She smiled a deranged smile and let out a cackle as she raised her wand and fired off a curse. It hit the ward with a thunderous screech as they fought against her intrusion. She laughed and laughed as she continued bombarding the wards with curse after curse.

She was so caught up in her euphoric feeling of victory that she failed to notice the wards retaliate until it was too late and she was lost in a white void.

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The group gripped their wands tighter at Tempys proclamation, Draco nearly cracking his. Tempy, for everything that was going on, looked more annoyed than anything. Angry, yes, but annoyed angry and not the least bit fearful.

"I've about had it with this mental bint." She muttered as she turned and walked outside.

The others followed her out, ready to fight should they need to, as the ground shook beneath them. They watched as she stopped and use her wand to slice open her palm and squeezed as much blood as she could out onto the ground at her feet.

"What are you doing!?" Hermione yelled above the sound of curses hitting the wards.

"Showing her what happens when you try to break into my home! _Eicio!_" She shouted the spell and a blinding white light erupted from the blood at her feet and hit the ward, causing it to shine brightly before the shaking stopped and all was quiet.

Everyone was quiet, surveying the area before Tempy hit the ground.

Draco was down at her side in an instant, pulling her onto his lap and trying to wake her.

"Tempest! Sweet, wake up! Harry! Whats happened!?" He was shaking her lightly trying to wake her when the other reached them.

Harry knelt down and felt for a pulse, glad to find one, and noticed her still bleeding hand.

"How many times has she offered up blood today?"

"What? I don't know, at least twice?"

"Thrice." Came a mumble between them.

Tempy forced herself up, despite their protests.

"I have offered up my blood three times today. I need a potion then I will be right as rain." She growled as she pushed herself up to stand. The look on her face kept them from arguing with her even as she shakily walked back to the house. The others followed cautiously and found her back in the kitchen searching through her bag. She found a vial and popped the cork out of it and downed the liquid. She grimaced before looking a bit relieved.

"Tempy?"

She rolled her shoulders, "Yes, love?"

"What the bloody fuck was that?" Draco asked, adrenaline still running through his veins.

"_Eicio_ uses blood to drive out unwanted vermin such as your darling aunt. The wards would have retaliated anyway, but this way she ends up halfway across the British Isles in a daze for a day or two, thus out of my damn hair." She growled out that last part in her annoyance.

"I told you, scary witch." Harry whispered to Ron, who only nodded.

"Well, it looks like we will be moving sooner than planned." She stated, ignoring Harrys whisper.

"How long do we have before she returns?" Hermione asked.

"Like I said, a day, two tops. She already knows the location so once shes out of the daze she just has to find her way back."

"Right, and am I correct in assuming you will have to apparate us in?"

"Only the first time. Once you are there, offer your blood to the ward anchor, the obelisk, then you will be able to travel freely. I will reset the portkeys that Harry and Draco have to the new location and get the rest made as well. Things are coming to a head, we need to make a move soon."

The group nodded in agreement.

"Once we are there I think we should leave a message for Severus. He has the best chance of getting the diadem. In the meantime we can work on getting into Gringotts." Draco said, his hands fidgety.

Harry nodded, "We need to add your magic to some junk items as well, scatter them about to throw Bellatrix off. Tempy, whats the ritual involve?"

"I'll be using my blood and magic to cover his own, basically. It acts like a smokescreen, a shield. His signature will still be there, but mine will hide it to an extent. The more that are involved, the better the shield."

"Right, well, count me in then."

"Harry...''

"Shut it, Draco, I'm doing it."

Draco looked like he was going to argue but Ron and Hermione stepped in.

"Count us in, too, then. More hidden he is, the better for him and all of us." Ron said with Hermione nodding beside him.

Draco threw his hands up in exasperation but was grateful none the less.

"Thank you, all of you." Tempy said, smiling softly at them all. "We need to pack everything we need quickly. In the cellar there are the five bottomless bags I asked Hermione to enchant. I've been packing potions and supplies in them all week and in the shed there are packs and provisions. We need to pack all we can and move it quickly. I'll apparate each of you one by one then we can work on moving everything. Once we have everything moved we will leave a message for Severus, then plan our Gringotts infiltration. Agreed?"

Without argument, the five set out to pack everything they would need and things they might need, the threat of Bellatrix looming over them keeping them moving quickly.

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Dumbledore entered the portrait of his dear friends with a weary heart. He had visited Hogwarts and immediately noticed the extra security. He was unable to hear anything of importance and knew his visits would be harder to hide now. Looking up at his two friends, their expressions chased away his melancholy.

"Whats happened?" He asked as they rushed over to him.

"Albus! Sir! She was here!" Terra exclaimed excitedly.

"Here?" He asked, knowing they could only be talking of their daughter.

"Yes, Sir! Tempest was here and she claimed ownership of the property! She even strengthened the wards." Ciaran explained.

Dumbledore smiled, his formerly sad eyes lighting up.

"That's wonderful news! Where has she gone? Did you speak with her?"

Terra shook her head sadly, "No, I'm afraid she was only here long enough to claim the lands and reset the wards. I feel like she will return though. I don't know why, but something tells me she will return soon."

Dumbledore nodded, "She may be needing a new shelter. I was quite saddened when I arrived here. The Deatheaters are showing more force and are patrolling Hogwarts in larger numbers. If the others found their way to her then other less desirable people may have as well. Luckily, the wards here are stronger and this place is known to so few."

"I can't wait to see her. She was just a baby when I died." Terra whispered, her voice low and sad.

Ciaran held his wife to him, remembering the last time he had seen their daughter before his death. He hoped when they met again, that she had forgiven him for leaving her like he did.

Sensing the mood had shifted, Dumbledore discreetly left to another portrait in the manor to give them some space. He settled into an armchair and promptly fell to sleep. Time passed in an odd way to one such as he, a portrait of magical essence. It was indeed many hours later, perhaps a day, but felt like only minutes when he was awoken by a voice he hadn't heard since his living days.

"Headmaster?"


	16. Moving, Close Calls, and Reunions

All Around Me Ch. 16

Moving, Close Calls, and Reunions

Hermione and Ron appeared a top a rocking outcrop far from the island they had set out from earlier in the day, each clutching one of the two portkeys Tempy had already made for Draco and Harry. In Hermiones beaded bag she had multiple junk items, such as broken quills or cracked potions vials, with a hint of Dracos magical signature attached to them. While the others packed up to move to their new base, she and Ron had volunteered to apparate around the country and plant the decoys.

They had dropped many already but Draco had made many more, wanting to make sure Bellatrix was well and good thrown off. They had spent the past few hours apparating together and separately, backtracking and making new paths, spider veining around the Isles. They didn't speak much, if they did it was in hushed tones, fearful of being noticed. They tried to stay away from heavily populated areas but sometimes found themselves near small villages. With the possibility of Deatheaters around every corner and behind every tree, they remained vigilant as they planted their decoys.

The sun was low in the sky when they had placed the last one and Ron let our a sigh of relief.

"Reckon we should get back, who knows what else needs done." He muttered as he stretched. Hermione turned to answer him but her reply died in her throat as she spotted hooded figures with their backs to them, standing at the tree line maybe 10 meters away.

Noticing her face had turned pale, he slowly turned round and spotted them as well. They carefully backed away, trying to remain silent. They may not notice the significance of a broken quill with Dracos magic on it, but they didn't want to bring attention to its hiding place by apparating near it nor did they want to use their emergency portkey if they didn't have to.

As they were making their way backwards deeper past the treeline, the wind picked up and carried bits of their conversation back to them.

"The Dark L….. fed up… trix…. Bounty on… foy brat." The words were broken with the ebb and flow of the wind but they exchanged looks, knowing they were talking about Bellatrix and Draco.

"Aye, I… an eye out… get rich." Laughter followed but they were too deep now to make out anymore of the conversation.

"You got that, right?" Ron whispered.

Hermione nodded, "Seems theres a bounty on Draco."

"That's gonna make Gringotts a little trickier. Goblins love gold."

"We'll have to deal with it as it comes. Come on, we're far enough away. Lets get back and tell the others."

With a pop they were gone, the wind carrying away the sound, the Deatheaters none the wiser.

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While Ron and Hermione were off dispersing decoys, Harry, Draco, and Tempy were quickly gathering together essentials and other things they thought they would need. They didn't know if they would be able to come back here after they moved so they wanted to leave nothing behind that could leave a clue to their location or their mission.

Draco had taken the cellar, packing potions, ingredients, and supplies along with what ever odds and ends he thought were useful. The five bags Tempy had started on were surely in disarray as he had just threw whatever he could fit in them, only paying attention to not mix certain ingredients. He could feel the slight disorientation of Bellatrixs magic but knew it was only a short matter of time before it regained its usual luster and she would return. He hurriedly continued on his task, time hanging on him like a noose around his neck.

Harry had taken to packing personal items for everyone; clothing, toiletries, bedding, Tempys keepsakes. He had also taken whatever non perishable foods he could find in the pantry. He knew there were emergency packs stowed away in the shed, but having been on the run for several months with scarce amounts of food prior to their arrival at the island, he felt it best to bring what he could.

Tempy had taken the shed, all the family secrets and things she knew her father would want no one in the Dark to have. She looked around her at the shelves and mountains of books and parchment and wondered if she could possible move it all with such little time. Shaking herself out of the funk that had started to overtake her, she lifted her wand and got to work. She levitated and shrank one thing at a time and directed each item into the bag open at her feet.

This is where the boys found her a few hours later, tired and about half finished.

"Sweet, take a break." Draco said, coming up behind her and rubbing her neck and shoulders.

Tempy relaxed to his ministrations but did not drop her wand, "I need to finish this. This is all of everything my family has collected over generations plus all the work father died for. I can't leave it behind for them to find or destroy,"

Draco sighed and turned back to Harry, "Come on, Scarhead. We got work to do."

Harry rolled his eyes and raised his wand, "You better not slack off, Ferret. I'm not going to carry you."

Tempy laughed and shook her head as the two wizards began to help her pack away the shed, glad for their help and oddly enough their banter. They kept poking fun at one another, causing her to mood to lift with each laugh they pulled from her. It seemed like in no time at all they were shrinking down the last of the documents.

When the last item stowed itself in the bag, it closed with a soft click and all three dropped their arms in exhaustion.

"Well, that should be everything. How many bags did you two end up using? We managed to get everything into three here. I really need to have Hermione show me that spell for the bottomless bags." Tempy mused.

"I was able to fit everything in three bags after shrinking it all down." Harry answered.

"I just threw everything, carefully, into the bottomless bags in the cellar." Draco shrugged. Tempy gave him a look and he put his hands up, "Hey! Its not like I wasn't paying any attention. I didn't mix any volatile ingredients or anything. There's just not much order beyond that."

"Well, at least theres that." She remarked dryly, causing Harry to chuckle. "Hermione and Ron should be finished shortly. Its been hours."

The air grew silent and shadowed with worry.

"I hope they're alright." Harry said.

Tempy reached out and gripped his shoulder, "Hey, don't worry, Harry. I'm sure they're fine. They know to stay hidden and not to risk being seen. They also had the portkeys. You'll see, they'll be back soon."

"Someone talking about us?" Ron asked as he appeared from behind the shed.

"You made it!" Harry exclaimed, a smile on his face.

"Really, Harry, you should have more faith in us." Hermione teased as the three shared a hug. Draco rolled his eyes but smiled and Tempy gave an 'I told you so' look.

"I have faith in all of us, I was just worried." He said, pulling out of the group hug.

"Yeah, well, don't." Ron laughed before turning to Draco, "Hey, mate, we overheard some Deatheaters talking while we were out. The Dark Lord has offered a bounty on your head. Apparently hes fed up with Bellatrixs attempts to find you."

Draco scoffed, "The only reward they're likely to get is an AK. As the supreme leader of the wizarding world he shouldn't have to offer a bounty to get his followers to look for me."

"Be that as it may, money makes people turn on others. He probably banking on someone seeing you that wouldn't normally say anything or make others more vigilant." Hermione theorized, sharing a look with Ron, "We had the thought about the Goblins. We already don't know how you would be received but now that He is offering gold? Whats stopping them from calling Him once you step foot in Gringotts?"

"I'll just have to make my counter offer better if they go that route."

"Counter offer?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I can counter the amount of his bounty with an amount of my own."

"They wouldn't call him as soon as you revealed yourself?"

"Not likely. If they choose to make this about how much gold they would make, they would try to see if they could make more from me than Him. With my Fathers death, I became head of the Malfoy family, thus gaining control of the family vaults. He can't touch them without my permission so any financial support he had from the Malfoys has ended. Not to mention I control dear Aunt Bellas vault. I'm confident I could offer them something they would want more." Draco finished, receiving odd looks from the trio. He shifted uncomfortably, "What?"

"Nothing, mate." Harry assured him, "Goblin politics are just shady,"

"No worse than humans, Harry. Some people are always on the look out for a better deal."

"So, thats the plan, then? Show up and hope you can pay more than He can?" Hermione asked, slightly taken aback.

Draco shrugged, "I obviously can't just walk in looking like myself, I'll still need a glamour or a Polyjuice potion. Beyond that, what else can we do? It's not like you can sneak in without being found out. Even with Saint Potters luck, that plan will end in disaster. No, this is our best option. If for whatever reason it fails, we can regroup."

The group exchanged glances before Tempy gave a solid nod of her head, "It's the best we've got so far. Lets get all of our stuff moved and your blood added to the ward anchor. Once thats done we can figure out our next steps. We need to do the ritual before any attempt to go to Gringotts and we need to leave a message for Severus. Harry, did you pack the lock box?"

"Yeah, it's in with your stuff."

"Good, lets bring these bags into the house and we can get going."

The quintet walked away from the shed, plans and anxieties running through their minds.

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Bellatrix had never rode a broom has hard and in as such a fury as she was at this moment. One moment she was in ecstasy tearing apart the wards hiding her nephew from her then the next she had woken in some field somewhere and it was nearly nightfall. In a rage she set fire to everything in sight before apparating back to the coast line.

She was pleased to note his signature had not seemed to move so she quickly acquired a new broom and set out. Now that she knew where to look, it wouldn't take her long at all before she could resume her assault. This time, she would be mindful of any backlash from the wards.

"You can run, nephew, but you cannot hide." She singsonged in a crazed delight.

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The wards glowed an ominous purple upon Tempys arrival with Draco in tow. She reached her magic out to calm them, leading him over to the stone.

"Slide your hand down the side, it will cut your palm. Push your magic, only yours, into it as you offer your blood. The wards will look to me for acceptance."

Draco nodded and held out his hand, wincing as his palm split open. He gave a firm push of his magic and felt the wards magic seize around him, waiting presumably for her permission to grant him unassisted access. He felt when it was done as the wards relaxed and he felt the same warmth and safety he had felt back at the island.

With that done they set down the bag they had carried, looking around the grounds.

"It already looks much brighter than it had when I was here earlier. I wonder if we have any elves?" She mused.

"Who knows? Try to summon one?" He suggested.

"And how do I do that? Shout out for Tempests elf?"

"Well, typically its your surname but since you don't have one, not that I've ever heard you use anyway, then I guess so. Yeah."

She shrugged, she had never known her fathers surname, only the line in which her mother had descended. As far as she knew, that was her surname and they both knew she could not speak it. Hopefully, she thought to herself, the elves couldn't either if they existed.

"Elves of the manor! Your Mistress Tempest calls for you!" She shouted. They waited a minute before deciding that there were no elves.

"Well, it was a long shot..." She started before being startled by large purple eyes. She shrieked and Draco fell over clutching his stomach in laughter. Standing before her was a taller than average but still short elf with large purple eyes and blue skin, a dusting of purple hair on his head between his long ears. He wore black trousers and a modest black top with no shoes. She stared at the creature as Draco tried to stop his laughter.

"Mistress called for Pixie?" He asked in a kind and fatherly tone.

"Pixie? Is that your name?" She questioned as she got herself to her feet.

The elf bowed and answered in the affirmative. "Pixie has waited many years for Mistress to arrive. Has kept the rooms clean he has. When Pixie felt yous here, he knows yous be back. Kitchen has foods, everythings yous needs."

She smiled, "Thank you, Pixie. You're a dear. Do you think you could bring these bags to the entry way of the manor? I have three other friends I must apparate over and we will have more bags then."

"Pixie be honored, Mistress." He leaned over and grabbed the bags before disappearing with a pop.

She turned to Draco, who had gotten a hold of himself, and shook her head, "That's going to take some getting used to."

"Yeah, you may want to warn Hermione. Remember, shes all about freeing the elves."

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Right now, I need to go bring them over so we can get this ball rolling." She leaned up and kissed his lips quickly before winking and apparating away. He felt the bond pull slightly, but knowing where she was going and having seen her leave kept it from straining like it had before.

He took the opportunity to look around the courtyard. It was filled with hedges and topiary animals, the lawn and vegetation neatly kept despite the years of being uninhabited. The walls surrounding the courtyard, and presumably the whole manor grounds, were made of dark stones, forming intricate mosaics. Slytherins crest could be seen woven in the different shades of slate and obsidian multiple times throughout. It seemed his Hufflepuff came from a long line of Slytherins.

He heard a pop behind him and saw Tempy had returned with a disgruntled looking Harry. When they spotted his questioning look, she huffed and led Harry to the stone.

"He tried to come back last but Ron and Hermione were not having it." She answered before explaining to Harry what to do with the stone. Once again the air grew tense before lifting at Tempys acceptance.

Harry joined Draco in his minor exploration as Tempy went back for one of the others, getting a shock when Pixie appeared to take the bags they had brought with them. With a bow he disappeared again and they resumed their wandering.

Next to arrive had been a now disgruntled Hermione. Ron had refused to let her be last causing a small spat about sexism in which Tempy ultimately told them both to stuff it and grabbed Hermione, whisking her away before she could retort. She too got the explanation on the stone and repeated the process as before.

True to form, upon seeing Pixie, she started talking about how its wrong to enslave elves, to which she replied that she just found out she had an elf and she had no intentions of hurting the poor thing so for now to drop the conversation. Begrudgingly, she did and allowed the elf to take the bags they had transported before joining the others. Tempy let out a frustrated huff before she paused with an odd look on her face. No one seemed to catch it as they were distracted by the different sights of the courtyard. Quickly, she disappeared again.

Time seemed to pass differently this time, she seemed to be gone longer. When she hadn't returned in about the same time she had with Harry and Hermione, Draco grew restless.

"She's taking too long for just Ron." He commenting, beginning to pace.

"Calm down, mate. Maybe shes just looking to make sure nothing got left behind?" Harry offered.

When ten more minutes had passed by Draco was near a full blown panic.

"Mate..." Harry tried to calm him.

"No, somethings wrong. Bellatrixs magic feels normal, well normal for her, and the bond feels muted and strained." He closed his eyes as if in tremendous pain. "Somethings wrong." His pacing grew worse.

"Pixie!" Harry called out.

Pixie appeared in front of them, "Yes, Master Harry?"

"Can you apparate to your Mistress? I'm afraid if we try we wont be able to get back. She hasn't explained everything to do with the wards yet." He explained. Pixie tilted his head, as if deciding if he could, when a violent pop was heard followed by a thud.

All eyes turned to a bloodied Tempy being held up by a similarly bloodied Ron.

"Tempest!" Draco shouted before running over to her and taking her from Ron. The wards grew even more tense, sensing their Mistresses distress.

"Ron, quickly, you need to add your blood. Hurry!" She gasped out, holding her side.

Harry helped Ron get over to the obelisk and showed him how to add his offering. The air grew thick and heavy before it was accepted and everyone could breathe normally again.

Dracos attention hadn't left Tempy, who just smiled tiredly, "Well, at least we got all the bags over before I got Ron." Her eyes rolled back and she fell into darkness.

"Tempest!"

"She's lost a lot of blood, mate. We need to get her inside." Ron grit out as Hermione was searching through her bag for potions.

Pixie looked to Draco for permission to take her from him. With a nod the two disappeared only for him to reappear and apparate all of them to a room where more elves were stripping her of her clothes and quickly cleaning, healing, and bandaging her wounds behind a partition.

"Does Master Ronald needs healing as well?" Pixie asked, looking him over.

"Uh… she got the worst of it." He muttered, blood on his face and in shock.

"Pixie, please take him to be healed as well." Draco bit out, pacing outside the partition blocking him from his bond-mate.

Pixie nodded and led Ron to a bed on the opposite side of the room where more elves converged on him, inspecting, cleaning, healing and bandaging. After a few minutes, he was pronounced healthy, minor wounds. He was made to stay in the bed where Harry and Hermione joined him.

"What happened, Ron?" Harry asked, watching Draco pace out of the corner of his eye. He could see the blondes magic rustling beneath his skin in his worry.

Pixie handed Ron a glass of water, to which he gratefully drank deeply from before starting his story.

"Well, Tempy had just apparated away with Hermione when..."

_Ron watched as Hermione apparated away with Tempy, a feeling of relief washing over him. He had had a bad feeling the past hour or so, like the hammer was about to come down on them. He couldn't explain it but he knew that he needed to get Hermione out of here before him. _

_As soon as he had turned to look and make sure they had not forgotten anything, the wards took a hit and the house shook violently. He hit the ground and took cover, his wand ready. He could hear the menacing cackle of the crazed witch using everything in her to break through. _

_She recovered a bit faster than expected, he noted in terrified annoyance. With Tempy gone, he had no way to manipulate the wards to fight back like before. He was stuck until she could return and grab him, hopefully before the wards fell. _

_They had been in such a hurry she had not repaired the spot in the ward that had been attacked and it looked like Bellatrix knew it was weakened. Hit after hit came as he sat ready to fight. Unknown to him, a small argument had broken out about the house elf and it was keeping Tempy a few minutes more than she had been with Harry and Draco._

_He was stuck between hoping she would feel the disturbance in the wards and stay away or feel it and come get him. He didn't mind going down if they got away safe but he really hoped there was enough time to get away as well. _

_With a final ear shattering shudder, the wards gave way. Bellatrixs laughter seemed to take over and fill the air as she landed on the island, the first uninvited soul to ever do so._

_"Come out, Draco! You can't hide from me! I know you're here!" She called, her tone sickly sweet. _

_Ron remained hidden as she began to blast apart the house, bits of wood and furniture flying through the air. He could hear her coming closer between blasts and readied himself to fight. As he was about to make his move he heard a pop and his heart filled with dread._

_"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT, YOU MAD WITCH!" Tempys voice roared in a fury Ron had yet to hear from her._

_Bellatrix sneered at her, "I take it this is your dreadful little hut? And that you're the filthy creature hiding my nephew?" She ceased her barrage on the house and turned, her wand raised at Tempy._

_"And you're the sycophant old snake face is about ready to wash his hands of. What a failure you are and what shame you must bring him." She replied, baiting her._

_Her eyes grew large and even more crazed as she threw the first curse, which Tempy dodged and countered. They exchanged spells as Tempy searched the area for any sign of Ron. She needed to get them out of here and quick. _

_She shot a blasting curse at the ground in front of Bella, knocking her off balance, then shot a pulse of energy through the ground, searching for him. She let out a sigh of relief and she found him, cautiously making his way toward them. She deliberately and slowly made her way towards him, trading spells with Bellatrix once again. She had amped it up, matching the deadly curses with ones she knew as well, trying not to tip too much of her hand. _

_Her attention slipped for just a moment as she tried to judge how quick she could make it to Ron when she felt a searing pain up her side. The force of the curse knocked her down into a pile of fiery agony._

_She screamed as the wound continued to split open and burn, a particularly nasty curse that would have killed her outright had it made full contact. Faintly she heard an enraged scream and loud cursing as Ron jumped into the fight. Quickly, she was able to stop the spreading of the wound and keep herself mostly intact as she pulled herself up._

_Ron was covered in fire, lashing out and throwing balls of fire at the now confused but still determined witch. Bellatrix was responding with even more dark curses, narrowly missing Ron as he advanced on her._

_As they fought she looked around at her once beautiful island, now lost to senseless destruction. Her home was gone and for what? The whims of a madwoman? Anger and sadness pooled in the pit of her stomach as she reached out a hand and called up the roots and vines around her, commanding their growth and their purpose. _

_A shriek of fury split the air as they found their quarry, Bellatrix. She screamed and fought their hold but the fury in Tempy was greater as they coiled tightly around her, squeezing her as a snake would its meal. Tempy limped heavily towards her, her words dripping venom._

_"You despicable excuse for a witch. All that power and pride just to bow down to that psycho. I thought Blacks bowed to no one and here you are, loyal to a half-blood. How the mighty Blacks have fallen."_

_"Lies! I will not listen to such lies about my Master! You will die for your insolence!" She screamed._

_Tempy stabbed her wand to her throat, the curse on her lips. Rons fire had receded and he was now watching in fascination and horror._

_"I should kill you." She hissed._

_"Tempy.."_

_"I SHOULD KILL YOU!" She screamed, ignoring Ron. "Things would go so much easier if you were dead! Draco wouldn't have to worry about you finding him! Two words and it would be done! I SHOULD JUST KILL YOU!" _

_Bellatrix laughed fanatically, "Go on then! Do it! It's just two words, but you have to mean it, dear. Are you a killer? Can you really kill me? Hm? Well, can you?" She taunted. _

_Tears and blood ran down Tempys face as her arm shook from fury and pain. Ron carefully approached her and laid his hand on hers._

_"I hate her, too." He whispered. "It's just two words, but you're not a killer, Tempest." She looked to his bloodstained face, begging him for the right answer. "We also need her alive for now, as much as I hate to say it. If the Dark Lord thinks shes dead, it could ruin our plans for you know what. He may make a move to find a new spot and we can't let that happen." _

_Tempy nodded and removed her wand. Bella laughed and began to taunt her again for being weak but was silenced by a fist to her face, knocking her out._

_Ron winced, "Way to go muggle on her."_

_"We don't have much time." She gasped through the fresh pain in her side. "We need to get back to the manor before I lose the ability to apparate."_

_"What are we going to do about Bellatrix?" He asked, his wand trained on her._

_"Obliviate her of the fight, of finding the island. She needs to __continue__ on her mission so He doesn't grow suspicious or I would suggest wiping her memory completely. She definitely can not be allowed to remember we have control over elements. Gods I wish we could just kill her."_

_Ron gave her a stern look, "Could you really do it? Even if we wanted to risk Him not finding out, which he would because of the mark, could you bring yourself to kill someone as they lay there? Not in the heat of battle, defending yourself?"_

_Tempy sighed, "No, I couldn't." She raised her wand, "This will have to do for now." Her wand glowed softly as she cast the Obliviate, sorting through the memories and erasing the ones from the past 2 days._

_"Quickly, apparate her somewhere then come back. I'm struggling here." Ron nodded, cast an Incarcerous in case she woke, and disappeared with her. _

"I wasn't gone more than a minute and she wasn't looking good. She was able to get us here and you know from that point on."

Harry and Hermione stared at Ron horrified they they had almost lost them, Draco was sickly white with his hands clenched tight. He sat on the edge of the bed, as the elves had finished their work on Tempy and gave the clear for him to be with her. Upon the conclusion of Rons story he laid beside her and carefully pulled her unconscious form into his arms and buried his face in her neck.

The trio watched on in sympathy, not noticing the two figures come into the empty frame in the center of the wall.

"Tempest! What has happened?" A frantic voice called out, grabbing their attention.

Draco jumped up, putting himself between Tempy and the figures, his need to protect his sleeping mate at an all time high. The trio jumped up as well, standing with him.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

The male figure huffed a bit but was easily calmed by his female companion. She turned to him and smiled, "You're Draco? Her bond-mate, yes?"

"Who would like to know?" He responded, a bit unnerved.

The man laughed, "A Malfoy never volunteers information, dear. Young Malfoy, my name is Ciaran and this is my wife, Terra. This is our familial manor. Tempest," He paused, looking lovingly and worriedly over at her sleeping form, "is our daughter."

Silence overtook them as they processed the information. It had never occurred to them that there would be family portraits in the manor but meeting both her dead parents hit them like a brick wall.

"Her parents?" Draco repeated, a bit wary.

The woman nodded, "Yes, dear. We've been waiting for the day she would find this place and I'm so glad to see she has brought friends with her. I am more pleased that you were able to find your way to her as well. When she was born, we knew she would have a bond-mate. I was unable to get the details until Ciaran joined me here but I always hoped you would find her."

"Now, will someone tell us what happened to our daughter?" Ciaran asked again.

Ron spent a few minutes retelling the story to her parents as Draco watched them, a million thoughts racing through his mind. Worry for Tempy, questions he had for her parents, even the plans they had made prior to coming here. His mind just couldn't keep still. He was brought back to the present by Harry shaking his shoulder.

"Sorry, what?" He asked.

Harry sighed, "We're going to take a walk around, give you some privacy to speak with her parents."

"Going to leave me to the wolves, Potter?" He said, an uncertain smirk on his lips.

He received a chorus of soft laughter in response but waved his friends away, before turning to Ciaran and Terra.

"Well, what would you like to know?"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron left at that point, quietly shutting the large doors behind them before making their way down the long hallway. Pixie and the other elves had opened the curtains on all the windows, bathing the walls in soft orange light from the setting sun.

"It's a beautiful manor, although the snake motif is a bit off putting." Hermione remarked.

"Her father was a Slytherin, you can probably assume his family line came from the house too." Ron answered, a bit of his old animosity coming through.

"Ron..." Harry started.

"No, I know, Harry. Not all snakes are bad but it's still a sore spot, yeah?"

They continued to walk, occasionally remarking on a painting or tapestry they would come across. The tension was just started to seep from them when they came across an occupied painting. At first they didn't realize who it was, but soon the sleeping man in the frame became clearer and there was no question to his identity.

Harry approached the portrait slowly, his heart heavy with a myriad of emotions; anger, confusion, hurt, relief. Maybe he could get some answers now.

"Headmaster?" He asked and watched the old man open his eyes, filled with recognition and sorrow.

"Harry, my boy. It's good to see you."


End file.
